Presenter: Kellie Teague (Hawaii Pacific University Center for Marine Debris Research)

Description:
Plastic pollution comes in many shapes and sizes, from submicron nanoplastic particles to megaplastic products like kilometers-long fishing gear. Each size class has a different impact on the environment. Nanoplastics are suspected to cross cell membranes and bioaccumulate into tissues after dietary or inhalation exposure. Microplastics can shed from textiles, are eaten by most species studied, and can impair growth and reproduction. Meso and macroplastics are ingested by upper-trophic predators (e.g., sea birds, turtles and mammals), potentially obstructing their guts, reducing nutrition and exposing them to a cocktail of chemicals. Megaplastics often entangle and kill marine organisms and damage coral reef habitats. Understanding the quantities, sources, transport, fate, impacts, and reuse of plastic pollution regardless of size class requires chemical analyses, but each size class requires different analytical techniques. This presentation highlights chemical methods and tools used at the Hawai’i Pacific University Center for Marine Debris Research to quantify plastic pollution abundance, identify polymer composition of marine debris, measure concentrations of plastic additives, assess chemical degradation of polymers, and explore recycling of plastic pollution for all size classes. For example, simultaneous quantification of nanoplastic and plastic additive concentrations may be possible using pyrolysis-GC/MS. Microplastic extraction efficiency from sediment is improved using a workflow that includes vacuum density separation and imaging FT-IR microscopy. Other novel applications involve complete polymer identification of multi-layer composites, discovery of chemical indicators for time-stamping, and chemical compatibility.  Our ongoing chemical research provides a deeper understanding for sources, age in the environment and reuse of plastics in infrastructure so society can move towards a trash-free ocean.