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Occurrence, Chemical Methods, and Ecology of Nanoplastics in Soils: a Tutor-guided Bibliographic Project for Early Phd Students
Summary
Researchers designed a tutor-guided bibliographic project for early PhD students on nanoplastics in soils, covering occurrence, analytical detection methods, and ecological implications, using the exercise to build scientific literacy and environmental awareness around an undercharacterized but growing area of plastic pollution research.
OCCURRENCE, CHEMICAL METHODS, AND ECOLOGY OF NANOPLASTICS IN SOILS: A TUTOR-GUIDED BIBLIOGRAPHIC PROJECT FOR EARLY PHD STUDENTS C. Socas-Hernández R. Pérez-Reverón S.J. Álvarez-Méndez J. González-Sálamo F.J. Díaz-Peña C. Hernández-Sánchez J. Hernández-Borges University of La Laguna (SPAIN) About this paper: Appears in: ICERI2024 Proceedings Publication year: 2024 Pages: 36-40 ISBN: 978-84-09-63010-3 ISSN: 2340-1095 doi: 10.21125/iceri.2024.0038 Conference name: 17th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation Dates: 11-13 November, 2024 Location: Seville, Spain Login to download paper Cite BibTeX ris Plaintext Share Email Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Abstract: Plastic production and improper disposal have led to global pollution, with plastics accumulating in oceans since the 1970s and more recently recognized as soil pollutants. Plastics can degrade into smaller pieces known as mesoplastics (<25 mm), microplastics (MPs, <5 mm), and eventually nanoplastics (NPs, <1/0.1 µm). While the impact of MPs on soil and biota has been studied in recent years, research on NPs has been limited by technical challenges related to their tiny size. Therefore, current scientific literature calls for research articles and literature reviews on NPs in soils to pave the way for further research. In this framework, the elaboration of comprehensive reviews covering diverse aspects about NPs in soils (e.g., occurrence, sources, transport, transformation, analytical methods, and ecological implications, among others) arises as a stimulating bibliographic project for early PhD students whose doctoral thesis deals with plastic pollution, soil health, cutting-edge analytical methodologies, and related topics. As PhD students must delve into the literature to prepare the proposed monographic work, they gain awareness of the challenges associated with NPs and the need for innovative solutions. This knowledge contributes to their academic development, sets the basis for further experimental work, and promotes a sense of environmental responsibility. This communication deals with the implementation of a bibliographic project about NPs in soils in the context of a tutor-guided experience that can be easily used as a template for similar works with related topics. Thus, it can be addressed by PhD students in the area of Sciences anywhere in the world, both those in their first and last years, as long as the difficulty of the content may be adjusted. Keywords: Higher education, project-based learning, anthropogenic contamination, chemistry, edaphology.