Water JPI Nano-carriers project: Micro and nanoplastics as carriers for the spread of chemicals and antiobiotic resistance in the aquatic environment
Development of a methodology for the extraction and analysis of microplastics in effluents from wastewater treatment plants and urban run-off.
This project opportunity aims to focus on estimating the mass loads of microplastics and associated chemical additives released into the aquatic environment through urban run-off and wastewater effluents. Urban run-off during rainfall events and wastewater effluents are two known sources of microplastic contamination. This work will use high volume filtration followed by a range of sample treatment and cleanup procedures in the laboratory to enable the quantification of the main plastic types as well as of selected chemical additives. Quantification will be done with a combination of pyroGC/MS and standard GCMS analysis. The characterisation of microplastic-associated additive mass load will be complemented by some measurements of dissolved phase contaminants with passive sampling.
This work project will include fieldwork, laboratory developments and use of state-of-the-art instrumental analytical techniques at NIVA. We are seeking a MSc student with a BSc in chemistry, preferably analytical or environmental chemistry. Knowledge of the fate of microplastic in the environment is an advantage. The project includes field work as well as analytical laboratory work, and the student should have an ability to carry out practical work, both in teams and independently. A good command of written and spoken English is necessary.
The MSc project will be associated with an on-going NIVA-led project entitled NanoCarriers. This is a new and interdisciplinary project involving partners in France, Cyprus and South Africa. Since the project was initiated in September 2019, some progress has been made already with some of the methodologies proposed above.
Student supervision will be by Ian Allan (NIVA, PI of NanoCarriers) and Alfhild Kringstad (NIVA).
For further information, please contact Ian Allan at NIVA (tel. 98294122; ian.allan@niva.no )