4-nonylphenol (4NP) is an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) and a persistent organic pollutant (POP) that is found sorbed to microplastic particles. This compound is often added to plastics during manufacturing to act as a surfactant and an antioxidant. However, as 4NP becomes more prevalent in the environment, organisms are experiencing irreversible ecological damage and human health is being threatened. MP with sorbed 4NP are deposited throughout the environment via mid-level orographic deposition. As warming temperatures cause glaciers to melt, previously trapped MP and 4NP are reintroduced into the environment. The relationship between the molecular structure of MP and the partitioning abilities of 4NP have never been studied. To explore this field of research, snow samples from glaciers in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, Wyoming, Alaska, and the Rocky Mountains were analyzed for MP contamination to determine the partitioning abilities of 4NP on different classifications of MP. Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to determine the number of MP particles found in each snow sample as well as the mass of each particle. The mass per volume concentration to concentration of 4NP was calculated. Raman spectroscopy was used to determine the types of MP found in the samples. Preliminary results suggest that the increasing surface area of MP correlates with increasing concentrations of 4NP.

Partitioning abilities of 4-nonylphenol on microplastics found in snow via aeolian transportation

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.