Screening of persistent organic pollutants emerging in the waste stream: emphasis on brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)

• Grant number: 19/06800-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: January 01, 2021
• End date: November 16, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: André Henrique Rosa
• Grantee: André Henrique Rosa
• Host Investigator: Vicki Helene Grassian
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Sorocaba. Sorocaba , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), United States

Abstract

Per and polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) represent a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals that have been widely used in different products, such as, water-resistant coatings, oils and fats, paper packaging for contact with food, foam to fight against fires, surfactants, surface treatment and insecticides, among others. Brominated flame retardants (BFRs), on the other hand, represent a broad group of chemicals that have been used to provide flame retardancy in a variety of products, such as plastics, textiles, electronic enclosures, thermal insulation of buildings, among other applications. Due to their persistence and impacts on the environment, these substances have been classified as emerging Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). PFAS and BFRs can be distributed, transported and accumulated in the environment, polluting groundwater, surface water and soil. This project hypothesises that the presence of this compounds in plastic components of consumer products residues, also can represent a potential obstacle to the use, reuse and recycling of these residues in a circular economy. To this end, the objectives of this project are to develop and validate methods to accurately determine the concentrations of PFAS and BFRs in various components of the waste stream, providing robust scientific information to regulators on the scale and precise nature of the problem. In addition, we intend to study the use of portable X-ray fluorescence equipment (XRF) as an instrument to monitor the compliance of the Low Persistent Organic Pollutant Concentration Limit (LPCL) values for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) in the polymers used. This proposed project is part of the project "Screening of the Irish Waste Stream For Persistent Organic Chemicals (SAFER)", coordinated by Professor Stuart Harrad and supported by the Environmental Protection Agency - Research/Ireland, it can bring important information about the POPs distribution in the environment and for the management and reuse of plastic waste in a circular economy. This is an important topic of research in environmental chemistry and in environmental sciences that has not yet been studied in Brazil. In addition, the postdoctoral internship will contribute to the establishment of a new line of research in our Unesp Research Group, and a new international cooperation with the University of Birmingham / UK and with Professor Stuart Harrad, recognized worldwide for his research in the area of Persistent Organic Pollutants in the environment. (AU)

Scientific publications

(6)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

HARRAD, STUART; SHARKEY, MARTIN; STUBBINGS, WILLIAM A.; ALGHAMDI, MISBAH; BERRESHEIM, HARALD; COGGINS, MARIE; ROSA, ANDRE HENRIQUE; DRAGE, DANIEL. Chlorinated organophosphate esters in Irish waste foams and fabrics: Concentrations, preliminary assessment of temporal trends and evaluation of the impact of a concentration limit value. Science of The Total Environment, v. 859, p. 6-pg., 2023-02-10. (19/06800-5, 22/00985-6)

DRAGE, DANIEL; SHARKEY, MARTIN; AL-OMRAN, LAYLA SALIH; STUBBINGS, WILLIAM A.; BERRESHEIM, HARALD; COGGINS, MARIE; ROSA, ANDRE HENRIQUE; HARRAD, STUART. Halogenated flame retardants in Irish waste polymers: Concentrations, legislative compliance, and preliminary assessment of temporal trends. Environmental Pollution, v. 309, p. 8-pg., 2022-07-20. (19/06800-5, 22/00985-6)

HARRAD, STUART; DRAGE, DANIEL; SHARKEY, MARTIN; STUBBINGS, WILL; ALGHAMDI, MISBAH; BERRESHEIM, HARALD; COGGINS, MARIE; ROSA, ANDRE HENRIQUE. Elevated concentrations of halogenated flame retardants in waste childcare articles from Ireland. Environmental Pollution, v. 317, p. 6-pg., 2023-01-15. (19/06800-5, 22/00985-6)

WATANABE, CLAUDIA HITOMI; GONTIJO, ERIK SARTORI JEUNON; DOMINGUES, MURILO TELES; FRACACIO, RENATA; ROSA, ANDRE HENRIQUE. Impact of aquatic humic substances on speciation and toxicity of arsenic and cobalt to Ceriodaphnia dubia. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, v. N/A, p. 8-pg., 2023-05-30. (19/06800-5, 13/06000-2, 12/19580-4, 12/17727-8, 14/20979-4)

GOMEZ-HERRERA, SANTIAGO; GONTIJO, ERIK SARTORI JEUNON; ENRIQUEZ-DELGADO, SANDRA M.; ROSA, ANDRE H.. Distinct weather conditions and human mobility impacts on the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Colombia: Application of an artificial neural network approach. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYGIENE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, v. 238, SEP 2021. (19/06800-5)

GONTIJO, ERIK SARTORI JEUNON; MONTEIRO, ADNIVIA SANTOS COSTA; TONELLO, PAULO SERGIO; ROESER, HUBERT MATHIAS PETER; FRIESE, KURT; ROSA, ANDRE HENRIQUE. Analyses of colloidal, truly dissolved, and DGT-labile metal species and phosphorus in mining area surrounded by tailing dams using self-organising maps. Chemosphere, v. 303, p. 9-pg., 2022-05-22. (12/17727-8, 13/14122-0, 19/06800-5)