EAGER: CAS-MNP: Effect of Sunlight on Fate and Transport of Nanoplastics and Associated Organic Pollutants in Aquatic Systems

EAGER：CAS-MNP：阳光对水生系统中纳米塑料和相关有机污染物的归宿和运输的影响

• 批准号: 2038312
• 负责人: Matthew Tarr
• 金额: $ 20.97万
• 依托单位: University of New Orleans
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-09-01 至 2023-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2038312&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; CAS; MNP; Effect; Sunlight

With support from the NSF Division of Chemistry and the NSF 2026 Fund Program in the NSF Office of Integrated Activities, Professor Matthew Tarr and Professor Phoebe Zito at the University of New Orleans study nanoplastics. Very small plastic particles (microplastics and nanoplastics) have been found in increasing amounts in oceans and may be a threat to the health of aquatic organisms. Rivers, lakes, and oceans are essential to human life. These systems contain a complex web of organisms that can be severely impacted by pollutants. Combinations of pollutants often have more damaging impacts than one pollutant alone. Nanoplastics (which have sizes from a nanometer up to about a micron) form in the breakdown of used plastic drink bottles, clothing fibers from laundry, and other sources of plastic. This project studies how sunlight changes nanoplastics and their impact on aquatic organisms. The energy in sunlight can break down nanoplastics, but very little is known about the resulting materials. The data from this project give new information on how and how fast sunlight helps eliminate nanoplastics or causes them to be more dangerous to aquatic organisms. The project also directly addresses one of the top thirty-three Idea Machine entries: "Imagine a Life with Clean Oceans." The project provides research opportunities for graduate, undergraduate and high school students.Model nanoplastics are exposed to simulated sunlight. Experiments assess both physical and chemical changes that occur. Photochemical degradation products are determined using high resolution mass spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy. Simple toxicity screenings monitor potential impacts of the photoproducts. Physical changes are assessed using dynamic light scattering and electron microscopy. Photoproduction of reactant transients is observed using well-established chemical probe methods. Studies in the presence of dissolved natural organic matter evaluate the impacts of nanoplastics as free radical scavengers that alter indirect photodegradation, which normally occurs in natural waters. The impact of nanoplastics on the photochemistry of important molecular pollutants is evaluated through irradiation of model pollutants with and without nanoplastics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

在 NSF 化学部和 NSF 综合活动办公室 NSF 2026 基金计划的支持下，新奥尔良大学的 Matthew Tarr 教授和 Phoebe Zito 教授研究纳米塑料。海洋中发现的非常小的塑料颗粒（微塑料和纳米塑料）数量不断增加，可能对水生生物的健康构成威胁。河流、湖泊和海洋对人类生活至关重要。 这些系统包含复杂的生物体网络，可能受到污染物的严重影响。 污染物的组合通常比单独一种污染物具有更大的破坏性影响。 纳米塑料（尺寸从纳米到约一微米）是在用过的塑料饮料瓶、洗衣后的衣服纤维和其他塑料来源的分解中形成的。 该项目研究阳光如何改变纳米塑料及其对水生生物的影响。 阳光中的能量可以分解纳米塑料，但人们对由此产生的材料知之甚少。 该项目的数据提供了关于阳光如何以及以多快的速度帮助消除纳米塑料或导致它们对水生生物更加危险的新信息。该项目还直接解决了前三十三个创意机器条目之一：“想象清洁海洋的生活”。该项目为研究生、本科生和高中生提供研究机会。纳米塑料模型暴露在模拟阳光下。 实验评估发生的物理和化学变化。 使用高分辨率质谱和红外光谱测定光化学降解产物。 简单的毒性筛查可监测光产品的潜在影响。 使用动态光散射和电子显微镜评估物理变化。 使用成熟的化学探针方法观察反应物瞬变的光产生。 在溶解的天然有机物存在下的研究评估了纳米塑料作为自由基清除剂的影响，改变了通常发生在天然水中的间接光降解。 通过照射有或没有纳米塑料的模型污染物来评估纳米塑料对重要分子污染物的光化学的影响。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。