Project description
Tracking nanoplastic pollution to protect freshwater systems
Invisible and persistent, nano-sized plastic particles are polluting freshwater sources worldwide. Unlike larger microplastics, these tiny pollutants easily slip from soil into rivers. Their pathways and environmental impacts remain poorly understood. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the NanoplastSorption project will create advanced carbon-based nanomaterials from lignin, coated with polytannic acid, to capture and detect nanoplastics more effectively. By analysing the characteristics and movement of both aged and new nanoplastics, the project identifies key accumulation zones and transport mechanisms. This research offers new knowledge to better track nanoplastic pollution and protect freshwater ecosystems from this emerging threat.
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.
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Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology materials engineering coating and films
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences environmental sciences pollution
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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B15 2TT Birmingham
United Kingdom
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