A Proposed Low-Cost Framework for Microplastic Screening in a Densely Populated Urban River: Design, Pitfalls, and Feasibility for the Gomti River, Lucknow

PREPRINT, NOT PEER REVIEWED. This is a design and feasibility paper and reports no experimental data and no model-performance results. It proposes HydroScan-AI, a low-cost screening framework for suspected microplastic particles (20 µm to 5 mm) in the Gomti River at Lucknow, combining Nile Red fluorescence staining, USB-microscope imaging, YOLOv8-based counting on a Raspberry Pi, and, once enough field data exist, LSTM forecasting. The paper presents a proposed protocol with starting settings to be tested, an itemized component list with an estimated cost of about INR 39,000 to 54,000, eight expected pitfalls with planned corrections, a validation plan (procedural blanks, spiked recovery, FTIR cross-check), and a design calculation of expected particle counts. The system has not been assembled or tested. HydroScan-AI is a screening tool, not a replacement for spectroscopic identification of polymer type. AI disclosure: Claude (Anthropic) was used to assist with literature searching, reference formatting, structuring, and drafting and language editing based on the authors’ design and notes; it was not used to generate data, results, or conclusions.