Investigating the environmental fate of microplastics and their effects on model organisms through structural and chemical imaging

Project information

Project code: GF23-13617L

Period: 7/2023-6/2026

Investor/Program framework/Project type: The Czech Science Foundation (GACR) / LA grants

Investigator: Brno University of technology/Central European Institute of Technology, doc. Ing. Tomáš Zikmund, Ph.D.

Project description: Microplastics (MPs) are contaminants of emerging concern due to their ubiquitous presence in the environment, persistence, and adverse effects on biota. Knowledge about the fate of MPs in the environment and the effects of environmentally relevant MPs on biota is still limited. This is particularly due to the lack of available technologies that allow structural and chemical analysis of biological samples. Therefore, the aim of the collaborative project is to investigate the potential application of a novel approach to monitor changes in structure and chemical composition during environmental aging and to directly detect environmentally relevant MPs in biotic tissues using laser-based spectroscopy (chemistry) and X-ray computed tomography (structure). The performance of the proposed innovative techniques will be tested in vivo using fish models to investigate the specific interactions between microplastics and tissues and possible adverse consequences.

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