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Researchers outline microplastics and tire‑wear monitoring plans, note analytical challenges
Summary
UC Riverside PhD student Hannah and other researchers described progress on a data‑harmonization tool for trash and microplastics, a tire‑wear monitoring study on the Los Angeles River, and plans to use NREL instrumentation and targeted chemical analysis (including 6PPD) to better characterize tire‑derived particles.
Hannah, a doctoral candidate in Andy Gray’s lab at UC Riverside, said she is finishing a data‑harmonization app designed to merge trash and microplastics datasets into common terminology and to harmonize concentration metrics across studies. "I'm wrapping up the first chapter of my PhD, which has been a data harmonization app that I've been working with Wynn on, that is for both trash and microplastics," she said.
Hannah described a separate field project focused on tire wear particles in the Los Angeles River. The study sampled five depths during low flow to examine transport dynamics and will use manual picking for larger particles and glass‑fiber filtration plus TD‑Py‑GCMS (and LC‑MS for targeted additives) for smaller fractions. She said the team plans to send particles to NREL to run on a 3‑D particle analyzer and then perform settling‑velocity experiments.
Nut graf: Researchers said laboratory methods, sample handling and QA are critical to microplastics and tire‑wear monitoring. Hannah noted that some analytes such as 6PPD can degrade quickly if samples are exposed to air, and that method selection (TD‑Py‑GCMS vs. LC‑MS) affects what compounds can be detected.
Participants discussed coordination with other labs and agencies. Hannah said she is pursuing LC‑MS expertise on campus and collaborating with Ben Mower’s group at NREL. She also reported attending a microplastics workshop in Germany and emphasized the value of international method exchange.
Ending: The group agreed to include microplastics and tire‑wear topics in upcoming subcommittee meetings and to invite project leads (including NREL) to present method documents and QA approaches to the work group.
