Plastic pollution is a growing environmental concern. Microplastics (MPs) are &lt; 5mm and are particularly hazardous due to their high surface area to volume ratio that facilitates leaching of their inherent additives and allows them to be efficient vectors for toxic metals and persistent organic pollutants. To effectively address their spread, we need to be able to properly characterize MP particles and use their physicochemical parameters to determine their age and source. The source can include both or one of either the manufacturing source or original material (petroleum or plant-based). This work uses fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) to identify polymer type, age, and source of microplastics from urban water sources. IRMS has strict size limitations (&gt;100 µm) and therefore cannot be utilized for every MP particle. Despite this limitation, preliminary data shows that IRMS has great potential for determining age and source of MP particles.

Tracking microplastics to their source: Analytical techniques for characterizing weathered polymers

2019 Fall National Meeting

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