ScholarWorks@UNO

Nanoplastics Degradation and Transport Mechanisms in Coastal Louisiana

Plastic production has risen significantly in recent decades and is expected to continue growing. There is abundant evidence of plastic pollution being present in ecosystems worldwide. This poses threats to biodiversity and environmental quality of habitats that can have long-lasting consequences. Mechanical action and chemical processes can degrade the immense amount of pollution in natural environments and turn them into microplastics and nanoplastics. There is a limited body of research regarding the transport mechanisms of microscopic plastic pollution through aqueous and terrestrial environments. This research aims to provide a fundamental basis of knowledge on how complex compositions of soil and water can affect the movement of nanoplastics specifically. Parameters that will be changed in each trial of this research include the soil type, flow of water, salinity, temperature, and nanoplastic type. Soil collected from the field will need to characterized using geotechnical analysis techniques. Lab testing will aid in understanding the Atterberg limits, grain size distribution, organic content, and specific gravity associated with each terrestrial sample. The water and plastic used in this research will be analyzed to understand the physicochemical properties. The tests involved will include dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMs), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry (UHR-MS). After understanding the sample characteristics, an environmental transport chamber will be used to study the transportation mechanisms under controlled circumstances. The relationships between the different parameters and movements of nanoplastics will be analyzed in this presentation.