CAS-MNP: Assessing the Controls of Plastic Photochemical Reactivity in the Surface Ocean

CAS-MNP：评估表层海洋塑料光化学反应的控制

• 批准号: 2202621
• 负责人: Collin Ward
• 金额: $ 44.94万
• 依托单位: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-06-01 至 2025-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2202621&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAS; MNP; Assessing; Controls; Plastic

With support from the Environmental Chemical Sciences Program in the Division of Chemistry at NSF, Collin Ward and Taylor Nelson at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will study the fate of plastics in the sunlit surface ocean. Despite sustained attention from stakeholders, the ultimate fate of consumer plastics in the ocean remains an open question. Exposure to sunlight is a key degradation process (i.e., photo-degradation) for most consumer plastics but the controls that affect the rates and extents of plastic photo-degradation in the ocean are not well understood. This study aims to determine the factors that control photochemical degradation of consumer plastics and thus their fate in the ocean. The basic knowledge gained from this research will inform fate and transport models that estimate the amount, location, and persistence of plastics in the ocean, as well as their potential impacts on ecosystem processes. This project supports engagement with the Lincoln Laboratory Beaver Works Summer Institute and the Build a CubeSat Challenge, opportunities for high school students across the country to learn about marine plastic pollution. Moreover, numerous undergraduate, and graduate students will be trained and participate on this research project.It is widely understood that sunlight chemically transforms plastics in the ocean into a suite of polymer-, dissolved-, and gas-phase products. However, the governing controls of these photochemical processes are poorly constrained. This research will deconvolute the relative importance of varying controls on the photochemical reactivity of consumer plastics at sea, including particle size, plastic formulation (i.e., base polymer + inorganic additives such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide), and sunlight wavelength. Specific measures to be tested include oxidation (molecular oxygen consumption), chain scission (decrease in molecular weight), and the production of dissolved organics. This project supports outreach activities with high school students, and the training of undergraduate and graduate students.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.

在国家科学基金会化学部环境化学科学项目的支持下，伍兹霍尔海洋研究所(WHOI)的科林·沃德和泰勒·纳尔逊将研究塑料在阳光明媚的表层海洋中的命运。尽管利益相关者持续关注，但海洋中消费塑料的最终命运仍然是一个悬而未决的问题。对于大多数消费塑料来说，暴露在阳光下是一个关键的降解过程(即光降解)，但影响海洋中塑料光降解的速度和程度的控制措施还没有得到很好的了解。这项研究旨在确定控制消费塑料光化学降解的因素，从而控制它们在海洋中的命运。从这项研究中获得的基本知识将为估算海洋中塑料的数量、位置和持久性以及它们对生态系统过程的潜在影响的命运和运输模型提供信息。该项目支持林肯实验室海狸工程暑期研究所和建造立方体卫星挑战的参与，为全国各地的高中生提供了解海洋塑料污染的机会。此外，许多本科生和研究生将接受培训并参与这一研究项目。人们普遍认为，阳光通过化学手段将海洋中的塑料转化为一系列聚合物、溶解和气相产品。然而，这些光化学过程的管理控制很少受到约束。这项研究将揭示不同控制措施对消费塑料在海上的光化学反应的相对重要性，包括颗粒大小、塑料配方(即基础聚合物+无机添加剂，如二氧化钛和氧化锌)和阳光波长。测试的具体措施包括氧化(分子耗氧量)、链断裂(分子量减少)和溶解有机物的产生。该项目支持与高中生的外展活动，以及对本科生和研究生的培训。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。