We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Raman imaging of microplastics and nanoplastics released from the printed toner powders burned by a mimicked bushfire
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used Raman imaging to characterize microplastics and nanoplastics released from printed toner powders burned in a simulated bushfire, finding that combustion produces a charred zone followed by a melted zone along the fire frontier, generating sub-micron plastic particles with altered chemical signatures detectable by spectroscopic analysis.
Plastic contamination is a growing global concern, but the characterisation approaches for microplastics are limited so far, and even more lacking for nanoplastics. As another public concern, bushfire has the potential to exacerbate the negative ecological effects of plastic waste. We thus study the release of microplastics and nanoplastics from toner powers printed on a paper sheet following a mimicked bushfire. The results show that, along the fire frontier, there is a charred area first, then a cindered area towards mineralisation via a full combustion. We find that, depending on the extent of burning, the printed toner powers containing microplastics can melt to aggregate, or crack to break down to nanoplastics, which are well characterised by mass spectrometry and Raman imaging combined with algorithms. Overall, the results shed new light on the microplastics and nanoplastics once affected by bushfire.
More Papers Like This
Microplastic and nanoplastic debris left behind by a plastic water tank subjected to a mimicked bushfire
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers analyzed the debris left behind after a plastic water tank was subjected to simulated bushfire conditions and found substantial quantities of microplastics and nanoplastics in the residue. Using advanced Raman imaging with scanning resolution down to 100 nanometers, they detected particles far smaller than those typically measured in environmental studies. The study suggests that bushfires involving plastic infrastructure may be an overlooked source of micro- and nanoplastic contamination.
Fire releases micro- and nanoplastics: Raman imaging on burned disposable gloves
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that burning disposable plastic gloves, as occurred during mass disposal of COVID-19 personal protective equipment, releases micro- and nanoplastics detectable via Raman imaging, highlighting fire as an underappreciated pathway for generating and dispersing plastic particles into the environment.
Microplastics and nanoplastics released from a PPE mask under a simulated bushfire condition
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that burning PPE face masks under simulated bushfire conditions releases significant quantities of microplastics and nanoplastics from polypropylene fibres, adding wildfire and incineration as underappreciated sources of plastic particle pollution.
Raman imaging and MALDI-MS towards identification of microplastics generated when using stationery markers
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed and compared Raman imaging and MALDI-MS analytical approaches for identifying microplastics generated from stationery markers, finding both methods capable of characterizing plastics within complex ink-on-paper backgrounds.
Contributions of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in microplastic pollution research: A review
AI summary Read the abstract
This review covers advances in Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques — including chemical imaging — for identifying polymer types in microplastic samples and tracing their fate in different environmental matrices.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.