Microplastics Analysis with ISO 16094-2 using Bruker LUMOS II FT-IR Microscope

Microplastics ISO 16094-2:2025

The New Standard for Microplastics Analysis in Water

Microplastics in water are no longer an invisible problem. With the introduction of ISO 16094-2:2025, there is finally an international standard for analyzing microplastics in water samples with low solid concentrations, such as drinking water or source water.

But the standard alone is not enough. To achieve truly reliable, reproducible results, you need the right technology. The Bruker LUMOS II FT-IR microscope, combined with the new OPUS MP-ID function, sets a new benchmark for speed, precision, and ease of use.

MP-ID: Smart AI for Microplastics Analysis

The Microplastic Identifier (MP-ID) in OPUS 9 is a fully integrated software module that automatically processes hyperspectral data and identifies polymers using deep learning.

Key Benefits:

• Fully automatic recognition of 15 polymer classes (ABS, EVAc, PA, PC, PE, PEEK, PET, PLA, PMMA, POM, PP, PS, PU, PVC, SAN), plus cellulose and calcium carbonate
• No more manual library comparison: MP-ID uses models trained on real LUMOS II data
• Fast and robust analysis, even with contamination or degraded polymers
• Transparent results in the form of classification maps, HIT scores, and statistics
• Built for the current methods: designed around ISO 16094-2, ISO 24187 and Commission Delegated Decision (EU) 2024/1441

Thanks to MP-ID, a complex hyperspectral image transforms into a clear, reproducible analysis result, completely within one software environment.

New Microplastics Sample Holder: Three Filters, One Workflow

The new A681 Microplastics Sample Holder makes analysis faster and more efficient:

• 3 positions for Ø25 mm filters, ideal for background + 2 samples/duplicates
• Magnetic mounting frames with RFID chip for error-free, fast changes
• Suitable for transmission and reflection
• Fully compatible with LUMOS II, HYPERION II, and SENTERRA II FT-IR and Raman microscopes

Result: Higher throughput, fewer manual steps, and consistent positioning for repeated measurements.

Key USPs of LUMOS II for Microplastics

• Detection and identification of particles down to 5 µm
• Full filter imaging, no particle is missed
• More than 750 spectra per second at 5 µm pixel resolution and 8 cm-1 spectral resolution
• Supports transmission, ATR, and reflection
• Resistant to matrix noise, even with complex environmental samples

Together with MP-ID, the LUMOS II covers the measurement, the counting and the identification that ISO 16094-2 describes. Whether a result is accepted also depends on your sampling, your procedures and your documentation, so compliance is a property of the whole workflow rather than of an instrument.

Higher throughput: LUMOS II ILIM with ParticlePlus

Where MP-ID solves the identification, the newer ParticlePlus workflow on the LUMOS II ILIM solves the throughput. The ILIM uses a quantum cascade laser instead of a thermal source, and Bruker specifies it at up to 169x faster area scanning speed compared to FT-IR.

In practice that turns a filter into a same-morning result:

• A complete Ø25 mm filter is acquired in 13 minutes, regardless of how many particles are on it
• 22.5 million mid-infrared fingerprint spectra come out of that acquisition
• MP-ID processes the complete filter in 15 minutes or less
• Bruker's documented example reached a total turnaround of 17 minutes for 939 identified particles across five polymer classes
• Complete results for an entire filter in under 30 minutes

The same workflow accepts Anodisc, metal-coated and silicon membrane filters, and it is built to run without a spectroscopist watching it.

Which route fits depends on volume. A laboratory measuring a handful of filters a month is well served by FPA imaging on the LUMOS II, which gives a full spectrum per pixel and the freedom to revisit the data with a different question later. A laboratory running microplastics as a scheduled monitoring service will get its money back from the ILIM route on turnaround alone.

Conclusion

The combination of LUMOS II, OPUS MP-ID, and the multi-position sample holder offers laboratories a powerful, future-proof workflow for microplastics analysis:

Faster thanks to AI-driven data evaluation More reliable through automatic identification and validation built around the current standards and ready for what follows User-friendly and fully integrated into one platform

Bruker LUMOS II, the smart choice for those who truly want to understand microplastics.

Interested in learning more about microplastics analysis solutions? Contact us for a demonstration or consultation.