Canadian technology can help tackle the global microplastics problem

Our oceans — and the global ocean economy, valued at an estimated US$2.6 trillion annually according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development — are under increasing pressure. 

Around 10 per cent of marine species are at risk of extinction according to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, and an estimated 8 to 10 million tonnes of plastic enter the oceans each year according to the UN Environment Programme. While research on plastic and microplastic pollution continues to grow, and some progress has been made, such as reducing single-use plastics, the challenge remains significant. 

Plastics make up most of the physical pollution entering waterways. Microplastics are now found in 60 per cent of the seafood we eat and represent an urgent environmental issue. However, a lack of standardization and field data prevents action.

A key factor preventing effective policy implementation is inconsistent and patchy data on environmental microplastics and a lack of standardized and scalable monitoring methods. Life below water is impacted differently by microplastics depending on location, oceanographic processes and other compounding stressors. Protecting our oceans requires consistent, holistic scientific data at the local, national and global scale. The difficult part for researchers is the ability to routinely collect this data, especially at depth, as the sampling equipment has been unaffordable, not fit-for-purpose or nonexistent altogether. 

In a collaboration between Victoria-based company Ocean Diagnostics and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), cutting-edge technology is being validated to establish a microplastics’ framework that will guide national microplastics sampling and monitoring efforts and better support solutions. This industry-government collaboration may be the ticket to moving solutions forward in Canada and setting the foundation for a global monitoring framework that can emulate successful programs such as the Argo program for oceanography or Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network for biodiversity monitoring.

From now until early 2027, Carleton University, Université Laval and the University of British Columbia will collect microplastics samples across the country, from the St. Lawrence, Ottawa and Fraser Rivers to the Strait of Georgia using Ocean Diagnostics’ microplastics depth sampling instrument called Ascension. 

Ocean Diagnostics’ automated depth sampler, Ascension, is ready for action. Photo courtesy of Ocean Diagnostics Inc.

The largest expense for microplastic sampling is often access to research vessels that can support heavy and large equipment needed for depth sampling. Ascension is a portable and automated instrument that can be easily lowered from the side of a small boat by hand to collect microplastic samples down to 400-metre depths. It reduces costs, field sampling time and sample contamination risks through its compact size and easy deployment.

The collected microplastic samples will then be analyzed in the company’s state-of-the-art microplastics laboratory in Vancouver, using a technique called Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). This process is used to identify plastic polymer types, and it is a critical step in tackling solutions. For example, packaging will present different polymer types than textiles or tire wear. By understanding which types of plastics are and how they travel through the environment, decision makers can better address targeted interventions from regulation to new prevention technologies.

At the same time, the project will also validate Ocean Diagnostics’ microplastics sensor, developed in collaboration with the NRC and procured through the Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) program. The NRC’s own research did not include a sensor that could easily sample water columns. The sensor is a flow-through system that uses spectroscopy and particle imaging to perform real-time analysis to identify total microplastic amounts and polymer types without the need for additional lab processing. This new collaboration builds on Ocean Diagnostics’ expertise in this area. 

Ocean Diagnostics’ automated depth sampler, Ascension, collects microplastic samples from freshwater and marine environments. Ocean Diagnostics Inc.

The data collected in the field in this program will be used to validate and improve the NRC’s prediction model, called CaMPSim-3D — Canadian MicroPlastics Simulation —  which simulates how microplastics move through marine and estuarine environments. All project data will be released in 2027 through the NRC’s COMEX — the Canadian Ocean Microplastic Explorer web application — with the intent of supporting open science and evidence-based environmental management.

Microplastic science has been difficult to standardize due to plastics representing a broad range of pollutants, including thousands of polymer types, various chemical additives, a range of particle sizes and chemical alteration due to biofouling and environmental weathering. The need for consistent, comparable and actionable data across different ocean and river ecosystems is greater than ever. With the capability to predict where microplastics accumulate and the use of automated technology to collect and analyze samples from those environments, scientists can better identify sources and solutions.

Our oceans have reached a critical point of impact from microplastic and plastic pollution. If action is not taken immediately, irreversible damage will be done. Bordering three oceans and boasting the longest coastline in the world, Canada has emerged as a world leader in ocean monitoring technologies that can tackle these challenges. This collaborative project between government, industry and academia lays a foundation for national and international action. Validating and introducing a microplastic monitoring framework and technologies marks an exciting milestone to advance microplastic science and policy nationally, while laying the foundation for international intervention and playing an important role for the industry. 

Ethan Edson, CEO of Ocean Diagnostics, is a marine scientist and conservation technologist who co-founded the company in 2019 to help researchers overcome the barriers of collecting the scientific data needed to inform policies that protect our planet from the threat of plastic pollution and biodiversity loss.