Emerging Contaminant & Microplastic Testing

Advanced technology for microplastics and nanoplastics identification

EP Aqua combines advanced laboratory infrastructure, OPTIR spectroscopy, AI-assisted particle analysis, and international quality standards to support research and projects involving emerging contaminants and human health.

Advancing Research on Microplastics

Microplastics and nanoplastics are becoming some of the most critical emerging contaminants for environmental, toxicological, and human health studies.

As global investments in plastic contamination research continue to increase, laboratories and institutions face a major challenge: the technical limitations of conventional analytical methods.

EP Aqua addresses this challenge by providing high-resolution analytical technologies for the identification, quantification, and chemical characterization of sub-micron particles.

OPTIR Technology: Beyond Traditional FTIR Limitations

EP Aqua utilizes OPTIR (Optical Photothermal Infrared Spectroscopy), a next-generation technology capable of overcoming the diffraction limitations found in conventional FTIR methods.

This technology enables more precise, detailed, and non-destructive analysis, especially for particles at the nanoplastic scale.

Key Advantages of OPTIR

Our expertise covers the entire lifecycle of emerging contaminants, providing actionable data for complex challenges:

Sub-Micron Resolution

Detection of particles down to 500 nm (0.5 µm), reaching the true nanoplastic scale.

Non-Destructive Analysis

Preserves the physical integrity of the sample, enabling advanced morphological and toxicological evaluations.

Chemical & Optical Correlation

Simultaneous chemical mapping and optical imaging of particles.

High Analytical Sensitivity

High-quality infrared spectra even for extremely small particles.

Analytical Technology Comparison

Technology	Approximate Resolution	Particle Imaging	Chemical Identification	Sample Preservation
FTIR / µFTIR	~10 µm	Yes	Yes	Yes
Raman	~1–10 µm	Yes	Yes	Yes
LDIR	~10 µm	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pyrolysis GC-MS	No imaging	Limited	Polymer only	No
OPTIR (EP Aqua)	500 nm	Yes	Yes	Yes

Unlike pyrolysis-based techniques, OPTIR preserves the physical structure of the sample while enabling detailed characterization by size, morphology, and chemical composition.

Artificial Intelligence for Particle Analysis

EP Aqua is developing AI-assisted analytical workflows to accelerate the identification and classification of microplastic particles.

Our approach combines:

image recognition;
morphological classification;
automated particle counting;
size, shape, and color identification;
expert-supervised validation.

AI + Human Validation

All automated workflows are supervised and validated by EP Aqua’s technical specialists to ensure analytical reliability and scientific integrity.