DeKalb, IL – The National Science Foundation has awarded NIU Professors Megan Brown and Melissa Lenczewski with a $415,000 grant to acquire a high-tech system for detection of microplastics in the environment.
Photo by FLY:D on Unsplash
Brown and Lenczewski are faculty members and researchers in the Department of the Earth, Atmosphere and Environment (EAE). They also are both associates of NIU’s planned $23 million Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability (NICCS), a world-class research facility that will be built on the university’s west campus. NICCS will focus its research on water resources, environmental change and food systems, while also promoting science-based policies and practices for communities.
The microplastics-detection system will be purchased in coming months and housed initially in Davis Hall, but it eventually could be moved to NICCS once the center is completed, Brown said. The instrument, which can fit on a tabletop, has an impressive name: an Agilent 8700 Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) Chemical Imaging System.
Professor Megan Brown
“The LDIR is a cutting-edge technology that provides a new method that advances our ability to detect microplastic particles, determine their size and acquire detailed information about each particle type detected,” Brown says. “The instrument will measure impacts of microplastics in different media, such as air, water or sediment, and lead the way in determining the impact of this contaminant of emerging concern.”
Plastic is the most prevalent type of marine debris found in our oceans and Great Lakes, according to the National Ocean Service. Plastic debris can come in all shapes and sizes, but those that are less than five millimeters in length (or about the size of a sesame seed) are called “microplastics.”
As an emerging field of study, not a lot is known about microplastics and their impacts yet. But the widespread and rapidly accumulating presence of microplastics in waterways and the air poses a concern for potential risks to living creatures. Microplastics are unknowingly ingested by a wide range of animals, including people.
NIU will use its new system for research projects related to agriculture, groundwater, surface water, public health, bioaccumulation in humans, biodegradation of microplastics and more. Researchers will study how microplastics are transported into the environment and into food webs, as well as methods of environmental remediation.
The LDIR also will provide an excellent resource for training students on use of the instrumentation and research. It’s expected that graduate students will use the instrument for master’s and Ph.D. projects across multiple departments and colleges at NIU.
Professor Melissa Lenczewski
“The instrument will be used directly by both undergraduate and graduate students to work on a variety of microplastic projects,” Lenczewski said. “We will also work with collaborators at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy and Centro de Investigacion Cientifica de Yucatan in Merida and Cancun, Mexico.”
LDIR provides a new method for spectral analysis and chemical imaging. Utilizing the unique properties of the light source, a rapidly tunable Quantum Cascade Laser, the LDIR first scans the area of interest in the sample to determine the presence or absence and records the location of particles in the sample analysis area. It then examines each individual particle and obtains a spectrum, compares it to the spectral library for classification, and updates the results.
“The multi-media and multi-scale nature of potential research projects using the LDIR will make this a unique laboratory,” Brown said. “Access to the LDIR will enable NIU researchers to form collaborations with regional, national and international teams working toward a better understanding of the fate and transport of microplastics.”
Yvonne Harris, vice president of NIU’s Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships, said the microplastics detection system is an excellent addition to several other new instruments the university has acquired for research and training.
“For example, our new Molecular Analysis Core is a premier research resource for analytical and instructional expertise in mass spectrometry, and our NIU Center for Research Computing and Data (CRCD) has recently commissioned a new $1.2 million, high-performance computing facility,” Harris said. “These types of equipment are helping us train the next generation of scientists and scientific leaders.”
Media Contact: Tom Parisi
About NIU
Northern Illinois University is a student-centered, nationally recognized public research university, with expertise that benefits its region and spans the globe in a wide variety of fields, including the sciences, humanities, arts, business, engineering, education, health and law. Through its main campus in DeKalb, Illinois, and education centers for students and working professionals in Chicago, Naperville, Oregon and Rockford, NIU offers more than 100 areas of study while serving a diverse and international student body.
