Quantifying the Dynamics of Polystyrene Microplastics UV-Aging Process

There are massive amounts of plastic waste released into ecosystems, generating huge amounts of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) during the environmental aging process. Particle size and number dynamics along the aging process have not been quantitatively assessed, which can greatly influence their fate and environmental risk assessment.

Dr. Huang and his group have applied single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (spICP-MS) to quantitatively analyze the polystyrene (PS) MPs aging process with a wide particle size range (800 nm−5 μm) as well as particle number concentration at an environmentally relevant value (down to 7.1 × 106 particles/L).

This webinar will uncovered and quantified MPs particle size and concentration during the aging process, which is essential to assessing ecotoxicological risks of MPs/NPs.

Presenter: Jenny Nelson, PhD (Application Scientist, Agilent Technologies, Inc.)

Jenny Nelson received her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati in 2007, and her MBA from Saint Mary’s College of California in 2011. Currently, Jenny is an Application Chemist for the Life Science and Chemical Analysis team at Agilent Technologies, joining in 2012 (with a step away in 2019). Jenny is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at University of California, Davis since 2013. Jenny has been very active with AOAC and ASTM over the past 8 years, serving on expert review panels, chairing committees, and volunteering to develop new methods needed by the industry.

Jenny has extensive experience in operating and method development for Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Jenny has broad knowledge and experience in different speciation analysis for many sample matrices using GC-ICPMS, LC-ICPMS. As well as vast experience with sp-ICP-MS, for many applications.