Assessment of nanoplastics and nanoparticles behavior and transport in soil

• Grant number: 23/04003-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: July 01, 2023
• End date: June 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Marco Aurelio Zezzi Arruda
• Grantee: Aline Martins de Andrade
• Supervisor: Javier Jiménez Lamana
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, France
• Associated to the scholarship: 20/02020-2 - Characterization, determination and quantification of nanoparticles using single particle-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (sp-ICPMS), BP.DD

Abstract

Plastic production worldwide has increased from 1.5 million tons in 1950 to 390.7 million tons in 2021. Nanoplastics (NPTs) have been considered as an emergent contaminant entering the environment without any control since they can be formed by the degradation of large-sized plastic inadequately disposed of and considering that only 9% are effectively recycled. The occurrence of NPTs in environmental water is three times more reported in the literature than in soil, resulting in a lack of information regarding NPTs fate and behaviour in such matrices. The co-occurrence of NPTs and nanoparticles (NPs), which is also considered an emergent contaminant, is even less reported, but a few studies have already demonstrated that their mobility and stability can be interfered with by the occurrence of both in a given matrix. NPTs and NPs soil bioavailability is an important parameter when considering their interactions with biological soil phase, and the study of soil liquid solution, which is called the soil pore water, can elucidate not only the bioavailability but also NPTs and NPs mobility, fate, and stability. The NPTs and NPs concentrations in the range of ng L-1 might be a limitation for their evaluation, however, spICP-MS can provide information on size, number concentration, and mass concentration even at environmental conditions. Therefore, by the use of spICP-MS to evaluate NPTs and NPs in soil, through pore water collection at realistic environmental conditions, will allow as to predict the analyte's behaviour in the soil as well as to assess the processes involved and their implications before plant cultivation. (AU)