https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-025-01642-8
Regular Article
A study of the characterization potential of microplastics embedded in soil applying 3D X-ray microtomography
1
Nuclear Engineering Program, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2
Federal Institute of Paraná, Campus Pinhais, Paraná, Brazil
Received:
26
June
2024
Accepted:
23
April
2025
Published online:
8
May
2025
Microplastics pose a significant environmental concern due to their widespread presence and potential risks to ecosystems. This study focuses on elucidating the structural characteristics of microplastics using X-ray microtomography analysis, aiming to enhance our understanding of their behavior and impact on the environment. The study utilized X-ray microtomography analysis to examine samples of microplastics mixed with normalized sand simulating sandy soils. The analysis involved several key steps, including pre-processing using filtering approaches to enhance image quality, digital image processing for segmentation and isolation of plastic fragments, and parameter analysis to quantify volume, concentration, and shape characteristics of the microplastics. The microtomography analysis successfully detected between 80 and 95% of the total microplastic volume within samples, enabling quantitative measurement of over 10,000 isolated particles up to 0.05 mm in diameter. Three-dimensional models were generated to illustrate the spatial distribution of microplastics within the samples, showcasing robust detectability, particularly for smaller fragments. Depth–position profiles and fragment thickness were obtained by the technique and may offer various insights into plastic fragments’ behavior in soils. The study also introduces a method for classifying microplastics based on shape parameters such as elongation, flatness, and sphericity, demonstrating the coherence between parameter values and three-dimensional model shapes.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
