Environmental & Microplastics
Environmental spectroscopy provides fast, flexible tools for analyzing materials and monitoring changes in our environment. StellarNet UV-VIS, NIR, and Raman spectroscopy systems support applications including water quality and pollution monitoring, soil analysis, algae and vegetation research, chemical analysis, and microplastics identification.
Raman spectroscopy can identify microplastics and polymers through their unique molecular fingerprints, while UV-VIS and NIR spectroscopy enable a wide range of optical and environmental measurements. With compact fiber-optic systems for laboratory, field, and real-time monitoring, StellarNet provides versatile spectroscopy solutions for environmental research and analysis.
Featured Articles
Assessing Land Cover and Soil Quality with Remote Sensing
Understanding changes in land cover and soil quality is important for environmental monitoring, agriculture, and land management. This research combines remote sensing, spectroscopy, and geographic information systems (GIS) to assess landscape characteristics and soil conditions, demonstrating how spectral data can provide valuable information across large areas.
Measuring Soil pH with Spectrophotometry
Soil pH is an important indicator of soil health and can influence nutrient availability, plant growth, and agricultural productivity. This research explores a spectrophotometric method for determining soil pH and compares the results with traditional glass electrode measurements, highlighting an alternative approach for analyzing soil extracts.
Advancing Microplastics Detection with Raman Spectroscopy
Microplastics are increasingly found across environmental systems, creating a need for faster and more reliable methods of identifying and analyzing particles. This Earth Day feature explores how Raman spectroscopy and particle analysis can help characterize microplastics, providing detailed chemical information that can support environmental research and monitoring.
Customer Research & Publications
Product Formulation Controls the Impact of Biofouling on Consumer Plastic Photochemical Fate in the Ocean
Taylor F. Nelson, Christopher M. Reddy , and Collin P. Ward Abstract The photodegradation rates of floating marine plastics govern their environmental lifetimes, but the controls on this...
Piney Point on-site Water Quality Testing using StellarNet UV-VIS Spectrometers
The StellarNet Team collected and tested water samples near the Piney Point wastewater leak in Tampa Bay last week- April 9th, 2021. Using their portable UV-VIS spectrometers and NECi enzyme based...
University Customer Spotlight: Student Researchers go to Extremes for NASA
We spoke with Josh Sebree, Astrochemistry and Astrobiology Professor at the University of Northern Iowa, who just received a NASA grant to have his undergraduate students aid NASA research. Please...
Application Note – The Raman Spectrum of Water
Water is arguably the most important chemical compound on our planet. As such, a great deal of scientific research has gone into understanding the structure and dynamics of water as it relates to...
Exploring VIS/NIR reflectance indices for the estimation of water status in highbush blueberry plants grown under full and deficit irrigation
A Ribera-Fonseca, E Jorquera-Fontena, M Castro… - Scientia Horticulturae, 2019 Abstract Remote sensing based on visible and near infrared (VIS/NIR) reflectance is being recognized as a promising...
Saline wastewater treatment with purple phototrophic bacteria
T Hülsen, K Hsieh, DJ Batstone - Water Research, 2019 Abstract Biological removal of organics, nitrogen and from saline wastewaters is adversely impacted by high salinity, which can be a major...
Key Application Areas
Food Safety & Quality
Advanced & quantum materials
Thin Films & Optical Coatings
Pharmaceuticals & Nutraceuticals
Biomedical & Life Sciences
Astronomy, Space & Remote Sensing
Industrial & Process Analysis
Lighting, Displays & Radiometry
Spectrometers for Environmental Applications
Learn More
Explore environmental spectroscopy and optical measurement through practical guides, application notes, videos, technical resources, and real-world research. Learn the fundamentals of UV-VIS, NIR, and Raman spectroscopy while exploring techniques for environmental analysis, water quality research, microplastics identification, and material characterization.
Our Learning Centers bring together educational content and practical resources to help researchers and engineers better understand their measurements and make the most of their spectroscopy systems.
- Spectrometers Learning Center — Learn spectroscopy fundamentals, measurement techniques, spectrometer selection, applications, and practical resources.
- Raman Learning Center — Explore Raman spectroscopy for microplastics and polymer identification, molecular analysis, material characterization, and research applications.
- NIR Learning Center — Explore NIR spectroscopy for rapid material analysis, composition measurements, and chemical and environmental research.