Ensuring Reliable Data:

Challenges and Solutions

Erasmus Maris directly addresses two of the main challenges in citizen science–based microplastic monitoring.

Challenge 1: 
 Microplastic monitoring typically requires expensive equipment, and analytical methods often employ hazardous or expensive reagents, which limit their use in schools and thereby restrict their participation. 
Erasmus Maris Approach
✅ Use of an adapted and validated analytical method that allows the use of simple lab materials, a smartphone,  
✅  Through an extensive literature survey, an analytical method was developed by combining approaches from multiple sources to create a cost-effective and straightforward protocol, which was further adapted for use with basic laboratory equipment in educational settings. Expensive analytical tools were replaced with low-cost, accessible techniques feasible in secondary school laboratories. The method includes:                                     
  •  Use of sodium hypochlorite (bleach) as a safe and cost-effective alternative
  • Nile Red staining
  • Smartphone imaging
​✅ The method focuses on particle counting rather than chemical identification:  A realistic and scientifically meaningful parameter that can be captured reliably in a citizen science context.
Challenge 2: 
 Even with harmonised sampling, quality control and validation are essential before data can inform policy or be integrated into official monitoring frameworks. 
Erasmus Maris Approach
​✅ The method is validated by the JRC against international standards: It meets a recognised quality benchmark, showing that low-cost approaches can still deliver robust, comparable data.
✅ Running pilots and ring trials with reference material to introduce a quality assurance and inter-laboratory comparability layer. This is a crucial step before any data can be considered for policy use.
✅ A centralised database with built-in data validation ensures all submissions follow standardized formats, supporting reliable EU-wide microplastic monitoring​
✅ Training sessions on the protocol and database management using a “train-the-trainer” approach
Challenge 1:  ​
Microplastic monitoring typically requires expensive equipment, and analytical methods often employ hazardous or expensive reagents, which limit their use in schools and thereby restrict their participation. ​​
Erasmus Maris Approach
✅ Use of an adapted and validated analytical method that allows the use of simple lab materials, a smartphone,  
✅  Through an extensive literature survey, an analytical method was developed by combining approaches from multiple sources to create a cost-effective and straightforward protocol, which was further adapted for use with basic laboratory equipment in educational settings. Expensive analytical tools were replaced with low-cost, accessible techniques feasible in secondary school laboratories. The method includes:                                     
  •  Use of sodium hypochlorite (bleach) as a safe and cost-effective alternative
  • Nile Red staining
  • Smartphone imaging
​✅ The method focuses on particle counting rather than chemical identification:  A realistic and scientifically meaningful parameter that can be captured reliably in a citizen science context.
Centralised Platform for Harmonised Data Reporting