Student develops platform to map styrofoam in Lago Paranoá

Tom Silva Nunes, a student at Escola das Nações, has launched 'Isopor no Paranoá', a collaborative citizen science platform designed to map the presence of styrofoam waste in Lago Paranoá, Brazil.

The project utilizes a custom 3D-printed device equipped with lenses and LEDs to examine water samples. By treating samples with Rhodamine B, the device uses fluorescence to make styrofoam particles visible. An artificial intelligence system then analyzes the captured images to distinguish styrofoam from other particles and estimate their size.

Through the website, members of the community can contribute to the study by reporting the location, size, and type of styrofoam found, including large pieces or microparticles. Users can also upload photographs to assist in observations. All data is compiled onto a public map to visualize the distribution of waste across the lake, which has been divided into nine study areas.