The Raman Spectroscopy Approach to Different Freshwater Microplastics and Quantitative Characterization of Polyethylene Aged in the Environment

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the investigation of microplastics reaching the Baltic Sea with freshwater input. The scope of the paper was to analyze samples from several locations with different environmental characteristics. First, samples from urban areas differing in their degree of urbanization, a forest, a river and its watercourse were examined. Secondly, the ageing quantitative and qualitative characterization is discussed. Spectral techniques are crucial in identifying polymers, but the signal itself constitutes a valuable source of the crystallinity and density parameters of the polyethylene materials. The study indicates that polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate and polystyrene are the most common types of microplastics in the investigated areas.