Remote Detection and Identification of Plastics with Hyperspectral Raman Imaging Lidar

We report a hyperspectral Raman imaging lidar system that can remotely detect and identify typical plastic species. The system is based on a frequency-doubled, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser operating at 532 nm and an imaging spectrograph equipped with a gated intensified CCD spectrometer. Stand-off detection of plastics is achieved at 6 m away with a relatively wide field of view of 1 × 150 mm 2 , thus providing the groundwork for better solutions in monitoring marine plastic pollution.