Task 3

1. Data Gap Analysis: Evaluate the current state of microplastics research, especially in the context of source/sink understanding, transport, and receptor modeling, to determine further research needs.
2. NYS Public Outreach and Development of an NYS Microplastics Summit: Plan a comprehensive, state-centered microplastics summit at SUNY-Buffalo and invite diverse stakeholders to contribute. This summit aims to:
   -Provide an opportunity to connect and collaborate on microplastics issues in NYS
   -Discuss current microplastics research (Measurements, Health Impacts, Policies)
   -Determine research and policy gaps (Next Steps and Priorities)
   -Better understand needs in NYS to move towards solutions (Collaboration Opportunities)
3. NYS Receptor Survey: Understanding the types and quantities of plastic infiltration into water systems and terrestrial environments, especially major plastic contaminants in and around Lake Erie, other water bodies, and terrestrial environments to inform policy and educational outreach.
   -Identifying at-risk receptors in NYS
   -Identifying the types/sources of plastics that are most relevant to NYS receptors
   -Quantifying plastic pollution at selected receptor sites with an intent to link source apportionment studies to these measurements based on plastic types/sizes
4. Source Investigation: Understanding the sources that are contributing to a plastic pollution problem and how they can cause this issue.
   -Laboratory assessment of materials most prone to fragmentation and generation of microplastics in the environment
   -Product Replacement Investigations
   -Filtration Technology
   -Adsorption Studies

NYS Receptor Survey:

Collaboration with the NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program (HREP) to Quantify Microplastics in Hudson River Tributaries, with Comparison to Citizen Science Measurements:

• 1 L water samples are collected by HREP partners and sent to UB for analysis. Samples are collected at the same time, and from the same location, as samples collected by community members participating in educational programming about microplastics.
  
• Upon arrival to UB, samples are treated using wet peroxide oxidation to remove organic content and then filtered through a 0.45 or 0.2-micron membrane using a custom vacuum pump system.
  
• Collected particles on filters are analyzed using optical, scanning electron, Raman, and/or Fourier Transform Infrared microscopes to identify size, shape, color, and composition of microplastics.
• Results will be compared to citizen science measurements to identify similarities/differences and any consistent trends.

Surveying Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) in the Hudson River Estuary Watershed:

• Samples are collected by HREP collaborators by passing the effluent from two WWTPs through a screen sieve. The isolated solid material is sent to UB for further analysis
• At UB, wet oxidation methods are performed to remove organic material from the sample, followed by sodium chloride addition to facilitate density-based separations.
• Samples are then filtered through a 10-micron glass fiber filter using a custom vacuum pump system.
• Collected particles on filters are analyzed using optical, scanning electron, Raman, and/or Fourier transform infrared microscopes to identify size, shape, color, and composition of microplastics.

Source Investigation:

Globally, 4.5 trillion cigarette butts (CB) are littered, making them the most common litter item worldwide, including in the US. Most of these CBs include more than 10,000 cellulose acetate microfibers in the cigarette’s filter (Figure 4), but this source of microplastic pollution has not been previously investigated. Our objective is to understand the release rate of microplastics from CBs in the natural environment. Exact methods are still being developed, but work will center on variability in release rate associated with cigarette brand, sunlight exposure, removal of paper wraps, and more.

• Faculty: John D. Atkinson, Stevens Chair in Engineering Sustainability & Associate Professor, Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering
• Student: Ghazal Vasseghi, PhD student, Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering
• Student:  Brody Krombach, Undergraduate student, Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering

• Facilitated the coordination of MP summit logistics, including scheduling, venue selection, and agenda development
• Conducted an extensive literature review to identify key knowledge gaps, especially regarding the association between cigarettes and microplastic pollution, revealing substantial opportunities for impactful contributions in this domain
• Initiated the laboratory experiments on cigarette-linked microplastic release and the NYS receptor survey

• Meert, J., Izzo, A., and Atkinson, J.D. (2021) Impact of Plastic “Bag Bans” on Retail Return Film Contamination Rates and Speciation. Waste Management; 135:234-42 (Impact Factor = 8.816, Citations = 13).

• Atkinson, J.D. “Waste Management Research at University at Buffalo” Ingenium University Partnership of the European Union, November 2023, Invited Presentation, Zoom (155 European attendees).
• Atkinson, J.D. “Microplastics Associated with Cigarette Waste” Public Health Law Center, October 2023, Invited Keynote Presentation, Zoom (160 attendees).
• Atkinson, J.D. and Smist, B. “Microplastics in the Natural Environment” NYS Department of Environmental Conservation – Microplastics Working Group, Invited Speaker, October 2022.
• Atkinson, J.D., Alexandridis, P., Vedantam, A., and Yang, J. (2020) Evolving Plastic Recycling Markets: A Holistic Academic Research Approach. Oral Presentation at the Association for Plastic Recyclers Stakeholder Meeting, Virtual Mini Technical Forum.

• Carballo, R. “Tampa’s ‘Litter Skimmer’ Trash Boat Tackles a Growing Problem,” New York Times, Quoted as Associate Professor John Atkinson, June 14, 2023.
• Ha, K.O. “Don’t Trust Plastic Snack Wrappers with Recycling Instructions,” Bloomberg, Quoted as Professor of Environmental Engineering John D. Atkinson, Sept 29, 2023
  

• NYS Microplastics Summit will occur June 5th–7th, 2024
• Conducting laboratory experiments on microplastics in DEC HREP water samples
• Evaluating various microscopy techniques (Raman, FTIR, optical, and scanning electron) for enhanced accuracy
• Developing experiments to study microplastic release from cigarette butts in natural environments