The study of amorphous and crystalline microplastics in the Japanese atmosphere
| Project/Area Number |
22K18041
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 64010:Environmental load and risk assessment-related
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| Research Institution | Shimane University |
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Principal Investigator |
長門 豪 島根大学, 学術研究院環境システム科学系, 助教 (50793832)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2022-04-01 – 2025-03-31
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| Project Status |
Granted (Fiscal Year 2023)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000)
Fiscal Year 2024: ¥260,000 (Direct Cost: ¥200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥60,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥2,340,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥540,000)
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| Keywords | Microplastics / Environmental Chemistry / Crystallinty / Raman spectrometry / Pyroclasts / microplastics / polymer crystallinity / FTIR / Raman spectroscopy / Atmospheric pollution / Air sampling / Polyethylene / Coastal pollution / Atmospheric particulate / Waste combustion / Contaminant adsorption |
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| Outline of Research at the Start |
This research will examine the chemical structure of atmospheric microplastics. Laboratory studies will examine how the structure of plastics change during combustion, as waste incineration may be a source of these microplastics. The adsorption of contaminants to these surfaces will also be studied.
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
Progress has been made in two aspects of the project:
1. The analyses of melted plastics (i.e. from waste incineration), with specific respect to their crystallinity and oxidation state. This was performed with a combination of Raman spectroscopy and FTIR. This research has been expanded to include pyroclasts and pyroplastics that are found on the Japanese coastal environment, as these are much more prevalent than initially thought. This is an extension of previous work on the crystallized state of environmental plastics (atmospheric and marine environments). It is also within this research that preparations for the upcoming adsorption experiments have been made.
2. The further analyses of microplastics in the atmospheric environment. Using a small volume air sampler, samples have been taken in remote environments and analyses of these is currently underway with Raman spectroscopy. This is expected to continue, with analyses being expanded to the smaller islands in western Japan. Microplastics in the marine environment have also been analyzed.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
Currently, both laboratory and environmental experiments have been conducted with only delays in the availability of the Raman spectrometer. A publication pertaining to the crystallization state of environmental plastics was accepted this year and another manuscript on the pyroplastics is currently in preparation.
Expansion of the atmospheric microplastic surveys will be furthered with the purchase of another low volume air sampler and the sample processing is only limited by the availability of machine time (viz. the Raman spectrometer).
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
The final year of the project will shift towards gas to solid phase adsorption experiments, where the goal will be to understand how crystalline polymers differ in their capacity to adsorb contaminants. This will leverage the lessons learned from the pyroplastic experiments conducted this year and will test the adsorption of various types of contaminants, though PAHs will remain the focus of the studies. The main challenge will be technical, as the focus will be on the in situ analyses of adsorption and the incorporation of Raman imaging. Environmental surveys of microplastics and their state of degradation will continue throughout.
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Report
(2 results)
Research Products
(5 results)
