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The elemental fingerprint as a potential tool for tracking the fate of real-life model nanoplastics generated from plastic consumer products in environmental systems
Citation:
Baalousha, M., J. Wang, M. Nabi, M. Alam, M. Erfani, J. Gigault, F. Blancho, M. Davranche, Phillip M. Potter, AND Souhail R. Al-Abed. The elemental fingerprint as a potential tool for tracking the fate of real-life model nanoplastics generated from plastic consumer products in environmental systems. Environmental Science: Nano. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, Uk, 11(1):373-388, (2024). https://doi.org/10.1039/D3EN00559C
Impact/Purpose:
An emerging area of microplastic research involves particles less than 1 micron in diameter. These nanoplastics may share some properties with their micron-scale counterparts, but transformation, transport, and toxicity may differ based on their increased surface area to volume ratio. Nanoplastics also exhibit higher difficulty in separation and detection in environmental matrices. The method developed in this manuscript uses the concentration of metals in laboratory-made nanoplastics to identify elemental fingerprints that could be employed to track these nanoplastics in the environment. These results aid the development of methods to assess fate and transport of nanoplastics in the environment. Additionally, this finger printing methodology will enhance tracking plastics through management of plastics waste in the environment.
Description:
Metals and metalloids are widely used in producing plastic materials as fillers and pigments, which can be used to track the environmental fate of real-life nanoplastics in environmental and biological systems. Therefore, this study investigated the metal and metalloids concentrations and fingerprint in real-life model nanoplastics generated from new plastic products (NPP) and from environmentally aged ocean plastic fragments (NPO) using single particle-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-TOF-MS) and transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM–EDX). The new plastic products include polypropylene straws (PPS), polyethylene terephthalate bottles (PETEB), white low-density polyethylene bags (LDPEB), and polystyrene foam shipping material (PSF). All real-life model nanoplastics contained metal and metalloids, including Si, Al, Sr, Ti, Fe, Ba, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, and Cr, and were depleted in rare earth elements. Nanoplastics generated from the white LDPEB were rich in Ti-bearing particles, whereas those generated from PSF were rich in Cr, Ti, and Pb. The Ti/Fe in the LDPEB nanoplastics and the Cr/Fe in the PSF nanoplastics were higher than the corresponding ratios in natural soil nanoparticles (NNPs).
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: The elemental fingerprint as a potential tool for tracking the fate of real-life model nanoplastics generated from plastic consumer products in environmental systems