Conference: Micro-Nano Plastics in Water: Characterization, Cure and Prevention

2514460 (Wiesner). Plastics are ubiquitous in all aspects of modern life, including food packaging, clothing, health care, and household products. Plastics production has increased substantially over past decades, and serious attention is now paid to managing plastic wastes, especially recycling and reuse.

It has not been feasible, either technically or economically, to achieve a fully circular system. Plastic materials that are not processed for reuse end up in landfills or in other waste processing systems (e.g., incineration) or advanced recycling facilities (e.g., pyrolysis) or are directly disposed of in the environment. In the environment, Micro-Nano-Plastics (MNP) may be generated through incomplete decomposition of the materials.

These MNP enter the air, soil, and water environments where plants, animals, and humans may be exposed. The widespread, global use of plastics, including in ocean environments, concerns the public and the research community. There have been reports of MNP being found in drinking water supplies of major cities, as well as in human blood and tissue, raising concerns over potential public health risks.

This award will help support scientists and engineers to participate in a conference on "Micro-Nano Plastics in Water: Characterization, Cure and Prevention," which will be held in Davos, Switzerland on July 5-11, 2025. The conference will engage in a multi-faceted exploration of the MNP issue, with an emphasis on finding reasonable solutions.

Conference topics will include history and evolution of the MNP problem, governmental and legislative initiatives, characterization of environmental and human health related MNP, analytical methods of MNP detection, scientific and technological advancements to cure the problem (e.g. source reduction, water/wastewater treatment, recycle), prevention (e.g., packaging changes, material substitutions), circular economy, life cycle analysis of MNP, and global modeling. The full scope of the MNP issue will be addressed, that is: characterization of MNP, cures to mitigate human health and environmental impacts, and preventive strategies going forward.

Achieving a circular economy for plastics is being analyzed and debated on the global stage, but it is evident that MNP are widespread in the environment and mitigation of potential risks is a public health priority. The conference will bring together attendees from academia, government research institutes, startups, multinationals, regulatory agencies, financial institutions, and representatives from the plastics industry, highlighting the extensive and interdisciplinary nature of the topic.

Collaborations between researchers in academia and relevant partners will be facilitated, as well as how the outcomes can be shared with the broader public. Funding from NSF will be used to support conference attendance of up to 25 U.S.-based graduate students, post-docs, and early career faculty members to ensure that the newest entrants in the field are welcomed into the community. NSF funds will be used only for U.S.-based participants.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.