Natural Disaster Induced Plastics Pollution from Landfills

Natural Disaster Induced Plastics Pollution from Landfills

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Syeed Iskander

Plastics pollution is one of the major problems facing humanity in the 21st century. In 2015, worldwide plastics production reached 4.9 billion metric tons and is predicted to reach 12 billion metric tons annually by 2050. Plastics released to the environment undergo degradation processes that reduce their size, which further exacerbates the management of plastic waste. Based on the size, plastics can be divided into macro– (>25 mm), meso– (<25 – 5 mm), micro– (5 mm to 0.1 μm), and nano– (< 0.1 μm) plastics. Microplastics are ubiquitous, being found in seas, lakes, rivers and estuaries, air, sediments, landfills, and wastewater treatment plants as a consequence of improper human disposal of plastics and inadequate waste management. Although less intensively studied, solid waste is a major source of microplastics to the environment. Landfills store approximately 21– 42% of the generated global plastics. Plastics in landfills can be broken down into microplastics through complex biochemical reactions and physical changes. Microplastics are not standalone pollutants, but can adsorb different contaminants on its surfaces. If ingested, microplastics can disrupt the reproductive and feeding systems of marine life and cause inflammation of vital organs due to their small size and sharp ends. Long-term exposure to microplastics can cause detrimental human health effects (i.e., lung damage and liver function changes). The huge volume of landfilled plastics can directly end up in the environment after earthquake-induced landslides in landfills. Thus, to help in understanding the impact of an earthquake-induced landslides in landfills, in this project, the participants will develop microplastics separation technologies from landfill refuse, and microplastics characterization techniques using microscopy.

Teacher and/or Community College Faculty Component:The teachers will participate in a literature review to understand solid waste microplastics pollution. They will conduct laboratory experiments to separate microplastics from solid matrices using density separation methods. The participants will learn microplastics characterization techniques using microscopy. No prior experience is required for conducting this study.