摘要

近年来，对颗粒塑料的分布和影响的研究愈演愈烈，但由于分析上的挑战，我们对纳米塑料的发生和行为的理解仍然相对难以捉摸。然而，过程研究可以极大地帮助确定技术和环境隔室内的纳米塑料相互作用和转移的关键参数。在这里，我们提供了一种合成纳米塑料颗粒的方法，该纳米塑料颗粒掺杂有用作示踪剂的化学捕获的金属，这提供了在复杂介质中更容易，准确和定量地检测纳米塑料的稳健方式。我们展示了这种方法在批量研究中的实用性，该研究模拟了城市污水处理厂的活性污泥过程，因此更好地了解了城市环境中纳米塑料的命运。我们发现大部分颗粒与污泥有关（> 98％），平均回收率达到93％以上。我们相信这种方法可以进一步发展，以研究不同尺度的各种系统中纳米塑料的命运，运输，机械行为和生物吸收。

Research on the distribution and effects of particulate plastic has intensified in recent years and yet, due to analytical challenges, our understanding of nanoplastic occurrence and behaviour has remained comparatively elusive. However, process studies could greatly aid in defining key parameters for nanoplastic interactions within and transfers between technical and environmental compartments. Here we provide a method to synthesize nanoplastic particles doped with a chemically entrapped metal used as a tracer, which provides a robust way to detect nanoplastics more easily, accurately and quantitatively in complex media. We show the utility of this approach in batch studies that simulate the activated sludge process of a municipal waste water treatment plant and so better understand the fate of nanoplastics in urban environments. We found that the majority of particles were associated with the sludge (>98%), with an average recovery of over 93% of the spiked material achieved. We believe that this approach can be developed further to study the fate, transport, mechanistic behaviour and biological uptake of nanoplastics in a variety of systems on different scales.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30718833