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DOE OSTI · 2587288

Open Specy 1.0: Automated (Hyper)spectroscopy for Microplastics

Cowger, Win [Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Long Beach, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000192263104)·Karapetrova, Aleksandra [Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)]·Lincoln, Clarissa [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)]·Chamas, Ali [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)]·Sherrod, Hannah [Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Long Beach, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000104978693)·Leong, Nicholas [Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Long Beach, CA (United States)]·Lasdin, Katherine S. [Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)]·Knauss, Christine [Univ. of Maryland, Cambridge, MD (United States)] (ORCID:0000000344048922)·Teofilović, Vesna [Univ. of Novi Sad (Serbia)]·Arienzo, Monica M. [Desert Research Institute (DRI), Reno, NV (United States)]·Steinmetz, Zacharias [Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU) (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000166755033)·Primpke, Sebastian [Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Kurpromenade (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000176338524)·Darjany, Lindsay [Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Long Beach, CA (United States)]·Murphy-Hagan, Clare [Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)]·Moore, Shelly [Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Long Beach, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000233134481)·Moore, Charles [Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Long Beach, CA (United States)]·Lattin, Gwen [Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Long Beach, CA (United States)]·Gray, Andrew [Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000322527367)·Kozloski, Rachel [Desert Research Institute (DRI), Reno, NV (United States)] (ORCID:0000000312119351)·Bryksa, Jeremiah [Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Edmonton, AB (Canada) ] (ORCID:0009000115337031)·Maurer, Benjamin [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)]
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Abstract

Microplastic spectral analysis is one of the most time-consuming processes in studying microplastic pollution, often requiring days per sample. Researchers are transitioning to automated batch and hyperspectral image analysis techniques to enhance efficiency. Open Specy, initially aimed at manual single-spectrum analysis, has now integrated automated methods. This updated version, Open Specy 1.0, introduces several new features, including two algorithms for automated processing (smoothing and particle compression), an extensive library containing over 40,000 open-source Raman and FTIR spectra, and two machine learning classifiers (logistic regression and k medoids) developed from this library. Furthermore, it includes a revamped user interface, an R package, and a benchmark data set for testing future advancements in automated techniques. Researchers evaluated various configurations for hyperspectral smoothing, particle identification, compression, and splitting, to achieve combined recovery rates between 50 and 150% particle counts, identities, and sizes with a coefficient of variation (CV) of less than 40% (the accredited standard). Mean absorbance times the standard deviation provided a consistent particle identification. Hyperspectral smoothing led to a 96% combined recovery rate and reduced variability (CV = 38%) compared to the 86% recovery (CV = 83%) of nonsmoothed controls. Additionally, compressing spectra for particles was significantly faster (>3x) and showed similar accuracy but with reduced variability than processing each pixel individually. Key challenges persist in automating spectral analysis, particularly in refining particle splitting algorithms, and improving identification routines to minimize false positives and negatives. In conclusion, new methods in sample preparation for better stabilization and dispersion of particles could overcome some of these issues.

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13 HYDRO ENERGY97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTINGFTIRK medoidRamanautomationhigh-throughput analysishyperspectral analysislogistic regressionmicroplasticsopen access libraryspectroscopy

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Cowger, Win [Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Long Beach, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000192263104), Karapetrova, Aleksandra [Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)], Lincoln, Clarissa [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)], Chamas, Ali [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)], Sherrod, Hannah [Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Long Beach, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000104978693), Leong, Nicholas [Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Long Beach, CA (United States)], Lasdin, Katherine S. [Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)], Knauss, Christine [Univ. of Maryland, Cambridge, MD (United States)] (ORCID:0000000344048922), Teofilović, Vesna [Univ. of Novi Sad (Serbia)], Arienzo, Monica M. [Desert Research Institute (DRI), Reno, NV (United States)], Steinmetz, Zacharias [Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU) (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000166755033), Primpke, Sebastian [Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Kurpromenade (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000176338524), Darjany, Lindsay [Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Long Beach, CA (United States)], Murphy-Hagan, Clare [Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)], Moore, Shelly [Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Long Beach, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000233134481), Moore, Charles [Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Long Beach, CA (United States)], Lattin, Gwen [Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, Long Beach, CA (United States)], Gray, Andrew [Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000322527367), Kozloski, Rachel [Desert Research Institute (DRI), Reno, NV (United States)] (ORCID:0000000312119351), Bryksa, Jeremiah [Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Edmonton, AB (Canada) ] (ORCID:0009000115337031), Maurer, Benjamin [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)]. 2025-08-11. Open Specy 1.0: Automated (Hyper)spectroscopy for Microplastics. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.5c00962

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