Abstract View
Discovery of Atmospheric Microplastic Particles in Urban Emissions
ANA MORALES, Jay Tomlin, Christopher West, Yoorae Noh, Andrew Whelton, Alexander Laskin, Purdue University
Abstract Number: 224
Working Group: Urban Aerosols
Abstract
Micrometer and nanometer plastics (MNP) have become substantial environmental pollutants because of increased production and poor disposal management of various plastic products degrading in the environment. MNP particles are also deemed as an emergent component of air pollution due to their ability to become airborne and undergo long-range atmospheric transport. Here, we reveal a substantial, yet unrecognized, source of atmospheric MNP in an urban area. The MNP were discovered in samples of steam water emitted at urban sewer repair sites, where the operation process called plastic cured-in-place-pipes (CIPP) was employed. The CIPP installation procedure involves the chemical manufacture of a new plastic pipe inside an existing damaged pipe by blowing steam through the pipe, resulting in the release of MNP and other chemicals into the air. Chemical imaging of the dry aerosol particles generated from the steam water showed abundant presence of small MNP particles in the size range of 100-500 nm, where smaller particles showed a higher degree of oxygenation. We use a combination of mass spectrometry techniques to enable molecular characterization of the MNP constituents and spectro-microscopy techniques to elucidate size distributions, morphology, and internal structures of MNP at the nanometer scale. This work provides a detailed description on the chemical composition of individual MNP particles related to CIPP manufacture, which is important in evaluating their contributions to urban environment.