Protect our beautiful oceans! Children observe microplastics using the HORIBA microplastic observation kit - HORIBA
There is a local version available of this page. Change to the local version?
United States

Protect our beautiful oceans! Children observe microplastics using the HORIBA microplastic observation kit

Microplastics (MPs) refer to small plastic particles, less than 5 mm in diameter . Plastic products such as plastic bottles and bags, which we regularly use, flow into rivers and oceans as litter and other waste. Sunlight and ocean waves gradually break down these plastics into smaller pieces over time, which eventually creates microplastics.

Microplastics pollute the oceans and adversely impact environments inhabited by marine life. Plastics left on the coasts and in the sea for a long period of time are gradually contaminated with harmful chemical substances that have an affinity for plastics. This interaction makes those microplastics harmful. What will happen when marine life ingests these harmful microplastics? It can not only harm fish but also indirectly impact human beings.

The problems caused by microplastics do not stop there. This harmful waste works its way into groves growing along the coasts, affecting the growth and health of trees. This causes the trees to fall more easily when hit by storms, which in turn does harm to people living near the sea. Today, these microplastics have become a serious issue throughout the global environment.

  

HORIBA developed the microplastic observation kit in 2022 to teach and make the issue of microplastics more personal to children. This educational kit provides an easy means to visualize the microplastics in sand taken from nearby ocean beaches and river shores. HORIBA holds microplastic observation classes for children using its microplastic observation kit.

 

Microplastic Observation Kit ”PlaWatch”

In February 2024, HORIBA visited Okinawa to give microplastics observation classes using the kit at the Exhibition of the Science-work by the Students in Okinawa  as well as at local elementary and junior high schools. Makiko Okamoto, professor in the Elementary and Secondary School Teacher Training Program at the University of the Ryukyus, took part to help us in these Okinawa  hands-on   classes. We used this as an opportunity to ask Professor Okamoto about her encounter with the HORIBA microplastic observation kit as well as her research and other activities using the kit.

 
Makiko Okamoto

Professor
Elementary and Secondary School Teacher Training Program
Faculty of Education
University of the Ryukyus

Encounter with the microplastic observation kit

  

Prof. Okamoto: Okinawa Prefecture is putting particular emphasis on marine education. These programs already include classes on ocean microplastics and beach cleaning. However, it is difficult to teach the actual form and presence of microplastics through these activities alone. That is why I was trying to find a better way to cultivate the understanding of them.

I learned about the microplastic observation kit developed by HORIBA through a project. The kit adopts a laser-induced fluorescent measurement method. I was first surprised that this type of measurement could be easily used in an educational environment. Later, I learned that the kit is not simply made as an education tool for children but also a technological product developed by analysis and measurement instrument manufacturers. The concept of using it as an education tool really resonated with me. I thought a class that could take advantage of this microplastic observation kit would be significant and really wanted to share this educational tool broadly throughout Okinawa.

As a provider of technical education*, I also wanted children to learn about the technical skills of analysis and measurement instrument manufacturers, which are incorporated into the microplastic observation kit.

*Technical education is to teach the skills and knowledge necessary for daily life and production activities.

Collaboration with HORIBA for hands-on classes

Prof. Okamoto: The classes taught by the engineers at HORIBA who developed the microplastic observation kit nurtured interest in some children about the work of engineers, which is an invaluable experience for these kids.

These hands-on  classes all provided a hands-on experience through curriculum that fully utilizes the real concept and structure of the microplastic observation kit as well as teaches the technical skills to share the benefits of this kit.

  
Left:Exhibition of the Science-work by the Students in Okinawa Right:Educational Excursion at Iriomote Elementary and Junior High School 

When using  sand in nearby beaches with the microplastic observation kit, we can see microplastics that are invisible to the naked eye. Once we know that there are microplastics in the sand, we can consider what action we can take next. I want this kit to provide an opportunity for people to realize this is not an environmental problem happening in the far-off oceans but one happening right by all of us.

Broader use of the microplastic observation kit—Contributions to traditional Okinawa craftsmanship

Prof. Okamoto: As a faculty member involved in technical education at my university, I teach students about mechanical engineering, metal processing, and practical skills used in manufacturing. Ryukyushi paper  is a traditional paper unique to Okinawa. As a shrub native to Japan used as the raw material for Ryukyushi paper, Wikstroemia retusa  is extremely difficult to cultivate. The challenge has become finding ways to not only cultivate it but also create a hands-on educational experience at schools. The use of liquid fertilizer has been highlighted as one way to overcome this challenge by using microbial decomposition to liquify food waste from school cafeterias.

The base material where microorganisms thrive in waste disposal units is made of plastic. We have begun conducting research on these biodegradable plastics with the cooperation of the manufacturers of these waste disposal units. I hope to watch closely whether the liquid fertilizer contains any biodegradable plastics or not and how undecomposed plastics will decompose when scattered throughout the soil. We are studying the possibility of using the microplastic observation kit effectively as a visualization tool to see if there are any plastics in the soil.

Interview date: February 20, 2024.