Assessing the Transport of Nanoplastics in Freshwater sources and their Detection via Nanosorption Approach

Objective

"Human exposure to plastics is increasingly recognized as a global environmental threat, primarily due to the invisible and persistent accumulation of its residual content in freshwater sources. While a wealth of studies was still focused on investigating the ecological concerns of microplastics, the highly transformative nature of plastics began to increase the concentrations of nano-sized plastic particles (< 1 µm) in the environment. It is hypothesized that the recalcitrant nature of the nanoplastics facilitates their continuous migration from soil into river systems, leading to their introduction into the food cycle. Indeed, the estimates of nanoplastic leakage from soil to freshwater sources are still considered a missing link in the scientific community. Therefore, there is a high need to establish the mechanisms behind the fate and transport of nanoplastics in freshwater sources by identifying the major hotspots of its accumulation. The research project ""NanoplastSorption"", is based on the development of carbon-based nanomaterials (CNMs) using lignin as the primary carbon source and polytannic acid as a coating agent. The integration of polytannic acid as a hybridizing material with CNMs enhances their sorption efficiency for both cationic and anionic nanoplastic residues, thereby improving detection potential of CNMs. The study involved an initial assessment of the physicochemical properties and morphological characteristics of aged and unaged nanoplastic particles and subsequently their transport under diverse environmental, hydrological, and biogeochemical conditions. Further, the study utilized fluorescent surface-functionalized CNMs to detect and quantify both aged and unaged nanoplastics particles accumulated in distinct soil and water strata throughout their transport process. This interdisciplinary approach aims to advance the current understanding of nanoplastics by offering robust evidence of their transport and behavior in freshwater ecosystems. "