Towards in situ monitoring and assessment of Microplastics in Freshwaters.

全球每年产生的塑料废物超过2.5亿吨。在塑料废物总量中，只有9%的塑料被回收利用。剩下的部分，最终进入生态系统，在那里它们分解成微纳米塑料颗粒。微塑料分为两类；初级和次级微塑料。初级微塑料是牙膏、磨料和化妆品中使用的塑料，产量很小。然而，次生微塑料是那些由于物理力（如雨、风或波浪）、化学力（如来自阳光的紫外线辐射、温度或腐蚀）或生物力（如分解）（如微生物）的作用而缩小到微观尺寸的塑料。这些微纳米塑料的检测、鉴定和定量是至关重要的。这是为了支持对影响的理解，并找到解决方案来管理问题的规模。因此，本研究的主要重点是开发一种生物传感器平台，用于检测复杂环境样品（如土壤样品、淡水样品等）中的微塑料。电化学传感器已用于复杂样品的低成本便携式测量，例如血糖测量（每次测试< 0.2英镑）。然而，它们在微纳米塑料检测和测量方面的潜力尚未开发。该博士旨在为台式和便携式设备创建原理验证技术，以实现淡水样品中MNPs的原位检测。该项目有以下目标：1。生产一种微流体样品处理系统，以实现从复杂环境水样（例如废水，河水）中基于尺寸的微塑料颗粒富集。开发肽标记酶作为高特异性亲和标记，用于原位检测mnps。利用电化学技术，为MNPs的实时量化创造一种便携式、高性价比的电化学传感器。

Global production of plastic waste is over 250 million tonnes per year. Out of the total plastic waste production only 9% of plastic is recycled. The remaining fraction, ending up in the ecosystem, where they break down into micro and nano plastic particles. The microplastics are categorized into two; primary and secondary microplastics. Primary microplastics are plastics used in toothpaste, abrasives, and cosmetics, are produced in small quantities. However, secondary microplastics are those that are reduced to microscopic sizes due to the action of physical forces (such as rain, wind, or waves), chemical forces (such as ultraviolet radiation from sunlight, temperature, or corrosion), or biological forces (such as decomposition) (e.g., microorganisms).Detection, identification, and quantification of these micro and nano plastics is of utmost importance. This is to support the understanding of impact and to find solutions to manage the scale of the problem. Therefore, the prime focus of this study is to develop a biosensor platform towards detection of microplastics in complex environmental samples (e.g., soil samples, freshwater samples etc.). Electrochemical sensors have been used for low cost, portable measurements in complex samples e.g. for blood glucose measurement (<£0.2 per test). Their potential for micro and nano plastic detection and measurement is however still untapped.This PhD aims to create a proof of principle technology towards benchtop and portable devices that will enable in situ detection of MNPs in freshwater samples. The project has the following objectives:1. Produce a microfluidic sample handling system to achieve size-based enrichment of microplastic particles from a complex environmental water sample (e.g., wastewater, river water).2. Develop peptide-labelled enzymes as highly specific affinity labels for in situ detection of MNPs.3. Create a portable and cost-effective electrochemical sensor for real-time MNPs quantification using electrochemical techniques.