Plastic Debris from the Beaches of Trindade Island, Brazil: Physical and Chemical Characterization of Microplastics and Plastistones

• Grant number: 25/00576-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Carlos José Leopoldo Constantino
• Grantee: Guilherme de Souza Fontes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Presidente Prudente. Presidente Prudente , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Mass-produced since 1950, various types of synthetic polymers are increasingly found in the marine environment due to improper disposal, leading to global pressure for research on plastic waste, such as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) proposed by the United Nations. As a durable material with slow degradation, plastic breaks down into smaller debris or plastic rocks, as recently discovered, which demonstrate plastic's interaction with Earth's natural cycle. This master's project proposes the visual, physical, and chemical characterization of plastistone (plastic rock) and plastic debris (micro and mesoplastics) samples collected on Trindade Island for identification and a better understanding of oceanic plastic pollution. In 2024, micro and mesoplastic samples were detected and collected from seven beaches through parallel transects along the coastline. These samples will be organized by beach and visually characterized by color, size, and type. Physical analysis will be conducted using measurement tools such as calipers and precision scales, while the morphometry of the samples will be processed using ImageJ software. Morphology will be examined using scanning electron microscopy, and density will be assessed by the Archimedes method. The chemical characterization will use spectroscopy equipment, such as micro-Raman scattering and Fourier-transform infrared absorption, in combination with the free Spectragryph database and literature, to investigate the sample composition and identify the polymers present. Finally, the characterization results will be analyzed quantitatively, and the findings will be compared with plastic debris and plastistones. This master's proposal is linked to the FAPESP Thematic Project 2018/22214-6, in which the supervisor is the principal investigator, and the CNPq PQ-1B scholarship. It will also have the co-supervision of Dr. Fernanda Avelar Santos, a geologist and FAPESP postdoctoral researcher specializing in marine pollution, particularly plastic rocks.