Papers

Poly(hydroxyalkanoates): Emerging Biopolymers in Biomedical Fields and Packaging Industries for a Circular Economy

This review examines poly(hydroxyalkanoates), or PHAs -- a family of biodegradable, bio-based plastics that break down without producing microplastics. PHAs show strong potential in biomedical applications like tissue engineering and implants because they are non-toxic and compatible with the human body. The paper discusses how PHAs could help address plastic waste and microplastic pollution while offering safe alternatives for both packaging and medical uses.

Machine Learning to Access and Ensure Safe Drinking Water Supply: A Systematic Review

This systematic review found that machine learning techniques can effectively monitor, predict, and control drinking water quality across engineered water systems. The applications span detection of physical, chemical, and microbiological contaminants, offering a scalable alternative to labor-intensive traditional methods for ensuring safe drinking water and identifying emerging pollutants like microplastics.

Machine Learning to Access and Ensure Safe Drinking Water Supply: A Systematic Review

This systematic review examines machine learning applications for monitoring, predicting, and controlling drinking water quality, covering contaminants from disinfection byproducts to biofilms and antimicrobial resistance genes. While not specifically about microplastics, the ML approaches described are directly applicable to detecting and predicting microplastic contamination in engineered water systems.

The response of aquatic ecosystems to the interactive effects of stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation, and climate change

This assessment reviews how changes in UV radiation and climate interact to affect aquatic ecosystems, including impacts on water chemistry and organisms. The breakdown of plastics by UV light is highlighted as a growing concern, since sunlight accelerates the creation of microplastics and nanoplastics in water. These smaller plastic fragments are more easily taken up by aquatic life, increasing the potential for microplastics to enter the human food chain.

Microplastics as contaminants in the soil environment: A mini-review

This mini-review examines microplastic contamination in soil environments, an area that has received far less attention than marine pollution. Researchers found that agricultural practices like plastic mulch use and sewage sludge application are major sources of soil microplastics. The study highlights that soil microplastics can harm plant growth, alter soil organisms, and potentially enter the food chain through crop uptake.

Effects of co-loading of polyethylene microplastics and ciprofloxacin on the antibiotic degradation efficiency and microbial community structure in soil

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin together affect soil microbial communities and antibiotic degradation. The study found that co-loading of microplastics with antibiotics altered microbial community structure and affected the rate of antibiotic degradation in soil, suggesting microplastic contamination may influence how soils process pharmaceutical pollutants.

The interactive effects of stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation, and climate change on aquatic ecosystems

This assessment reviews how stratospheric ozone depletion and climate change interact to affect UV radiation exposure in aquatic ecosystems. Researchers found that climate change is now the primary driver of UV exposure variations in water, through mechanisms like changing ice cover, water clarity, and mixing depths. The study notes that increased UV exposure can accelerate the breakdown of microplastics and other contaminants in surface waters, highlighting complex interactions between atmospheric changes and aquatic pollution.

Environmental effects of stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation, and interactions with climate change: UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, Update 2021

Researchers with the UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel updated their assessment of how stratospheric ozone depletion and UV radiation interact with climate change, finding cascading effects on ecosystems and human health — including the photo-degradation of outdoor plastics into microplastics and nanoplastics under increased UV exposure.

Environmental effects of stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation, and interactions with climate change: UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, Update 2020

Researchers with the United Nations Environment Programme assessed how stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation, and climate change interact to affect human health and ecosystems — including the degradation of outdoor plastics by UV light, which accelerates the breakdown of plastic materials into microplastics.

Raman Thermometry in Bubble Generation and Energy Storage

Investigations of Microplastics in the Unique Coastal Environment of Guanajibo Beach, Puerto Rico: New Constraints in a Polluted Environment

Impacts of Micro- and Nanoplastics on Photosynthesis Activities of Photoautotrophs: A Mini-Review

This mini-review summarizes how micro- and nanoplastics affect photosynthesis in algae, plants, and cyanobacteria. Microplastics can block light, damage cell membranes, and disrupt the biochemical machinery of photosynthesis, reducing the productivity of primary producers. Since photosynthetic organisms form the base of most food chains and produce much of Earth's oxygen, these impacts have broad ecological consequences.

Mineralogy and geochemistry of sands from Playa las Golondrinas, Puerto Rico: an approach to establishing a geogenic background

Researchers investigated the mineralogy and geochemistry of dune, berm, and shore sands at Playa las Golondrinas, Puerto Rico, using XRD and SEM analysis, finding dominantly quartz and feldspar with minor calcite, pyroxene, and olivine. The study establishes a geogenic background baseline for environmental monitoring of the local region.

Road sediment, an underutilized material in environmental science research: A review of perspectives on United States studies with international context

This review synthesizes US road sediment research in the context of international literature, presenting the most comprehensive table of US road sediment studies to date and arguing that this pervasive environmental medium — which acts as both source and sink for heavy metals, microplastics, and other pollutants — is significantly understudied relative to other countries such as China and the UK.

Therapeutic Role of Leaf Pulp of Carpobrotus edulis on Chromium VI Induced Toxicity in Wistar Rats

This study tested whether a leaf extract from Carpobrotus edulis (a succulent plant) could protect rats from toxicity caused by hexavalent chromium, a heavy metal contaminant. The extract showed protective effects against chromium-induced organ damage. This paper focuses on herbal remedies for heavy metal toxicity rather than microplastics.