Comparing the drivers and fate of plastiglomerate and other plastic debris along shorelines of the South Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific Ocean and Laurentian Great Lakes

• Grant number: 24/11161-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: February 17, 2025
• End date: February 16, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Carlos José Leopoldo Constantino
• Grantee: Fernanda Avelar Santos
• Supervisor: Patricia Lynn Corcoran
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Presidente Prudente. Presidente Prudente , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Western University , Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/10087-8 - A multi-analytical approach to plastic rocks and microplastics in Brazilian oceanic islands: advancements through Micro-Raman and data analysis., BP.PD

Abstract

The widespread plastic pollution in aquatic environments adds an anthropogenic element to natural processes, shifting our geological understanding in a heavily polluted world. Plastiglomerate is emerging as a prominent topic in environmental science, reported worldwide as anthropogenic "stones". A previous study was conducted under the FAPESP postdoctoral project (number 23/10087-8), building on the research of plastiglomerate in Brazil (Trindade Island). Thus, 139 samples have been analyzed through visual and physical methods, and 115 samples were chemically characterized using a portable Raman spectrometer. Microplastics found in the sediment collected along shorelines have been analyzed through visual and micro-Raman techniques. However, the behavior of plastic debris in the rock cycle, under conditions of diagenesis and metamorphism, are not yet understood. The next step of this research, as outlined in the postdoctoral project, will be developed within Dr. Patricia Corcoran's group at Western University in Canada. This aims to advance research on plastic and microplastic pollution by comparing its drivers and fate on two continents. Experimental runs on waste plastic and plastiglomerate will simulate pressure and temperature conditions in the Earth's lithosphere. Additionally, surveys of shorelines, water, and air for microplastic debris will be conducted, followed by advanced microscopic techniques. Dr. Corcoran's research group are global leaders in this field, having first identified plastiglomerate on Kamilo Beach, Hawai'i in 2014. It will also provide an opportunity to use state-of-the-art instruments for physicochemical analysis, and is expected to result in at least two articles of global interest. This BEPE project will include outreach activities to educate the public and school-age children about plastic pollution.