Podcast appearances · Radar

Nella Meyers

Marine microplastics researcher at VLIZ (Flanders Marine Institute), ILVO, and Ghent University in Belgium; developed novel machine-learning methods for detecting microplastics in marine environments.

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APPEARANCES

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PODCASTS

Jul 22, 2026

Euronews Tech Talks

Euronews Tech Talks

Plastic ocean: How scientists detect and study marine microplastics

Jul 22 · 21m

James ThomasHOST

10:39

you

Nella MeyersGUEST

10:43

There are different techniques to do this.

Nella MeyersGUEST

10:45

For example, FTIR, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, which is based on infrared spectroscopy.

Nella MeyersGUEST

10:52

So basically, there is an infrared beam which is directed at the particle.

Nella MeyersGUEST

10:57

And so the light will be absorbed by the particle.

Nella MeyersGUEST

10:59

And this will create a spectrum, so an absorption spectrum, which is very characteristic for the particle, which we can use as a fingerprint to identify the particle.

Nella MeyersGUEST

11:08

So it's very accurate.

James ThomasHOST

12:56

Once the sample is clean, it's time for the analysis.