Detection of microplastic in salts using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

Abstract

We report on a prototypical study of the detection of microplastic embedded in table salts by using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. In the experiment, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) of sizes from 150 to 400 µm are used as a representative microplastic and mixed with table salts. Analyzing terahertz transmittance with an effective medium model, we extract various optical properties such as refractive index, absorption coefficient, and real/imaginary parts of the dielectric constant of the mixture. Consequently, the optical properties exhibit volume-ratio-dependence in 0.1–0.5 THz regimes. Especially, the refractive index and the real part of the dielectric constant possess monotonic frequency dependence, meaning that the quantities can be relevant indicators for the detection of the microplastic in terms of practical applications. Our work proves that terahertz time-domain spectroscopy can pave a way to recognize microplastic mixed with salts and be expanded for detecting various micro-sized particles.