The polymer materials and nanomaterials in the marine environment - from the microplastics to the Plastisphere

Title : The polymer materials and nanomaterials in the marine environment - from the microplastics to the Plastisphere

Abstract:

The constantly growing amount of microplastics in the environment and their gradual fragmentation led to the expanding surface of plastics available for biota. It has been already named the Plastisphere and considered to be the eighth continent. Although many researchers focus on the microbiological and ecological issues and, on the other hand, regard the material studies, one can point out the need for correlation between the morphology of surfaces and the type of biofilm. The aim of this paper is to provide a quantitative description of the Plastisphere based on numerical modelling and picture analysis. It is a new and important area of research that creates a bridge between material and biological perspectives. Moreover, one can discuss the various approaches to physical and chemical characterization of microplastics, such as Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. Finally, the ecotoxicological issues and the evidence of MMs in fishes will be presented.

Biography:

Agnieszka Monika Dąbrowska, PhD is an assistant professor at the University of Warsaw. She carries out interdisciplinary research on the use of physicochemical methods (mainly Raman and IR spectroscopy, SEM-EDX, XRD) in ocean science. She has been involved in the nanomaterials design and nanocomposites studies. Currently, her scientific activity at the Laboratory of Spectroscopy and Intermolecular Interactions focuses on various aspects of the marine nano- and microplastics, ecotoxicology and Plastisphere. She was a member of the scientific polar expedition of Polish Academy of Science. From 2018 she is an honoured ambassador of Poland at European Maritime Day.