CAREER: Reactivity and mobility of micro- and nanoplastics from open burning of solid waste in underserved communities

Communities without access to waste management facilities often use open dumping and burning pits to dispose of their waste.

Although this practice is associated with low- and medium-income countries, open dumping and burning of waste also occurs frequently in the United States in remote, rural locations, or isolated Native American communities.

These disposal pits are an overlooked source of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in underserved and remote communities.

In open burning pits, plastics are partially burned and generate MPs and NPs with different chemical and physical properties compared to plastic particles that are produced via other weathering processes such as abrasion.

The overarching goal of this CAREER project is to investigate the reactivity, transport, and environmental impact of thermally oxidized (burned) MPs (1 micron to 5 millimeters) and NPs