Understanding plastic pollution to mitigate impact to freshwaters and services.

Macro and micro plastic are unregulated water pollutants with significant implications to service provision (e.g. water treatment), as well as generating considerable public and political concern. To deliver solutions to the plastic pollution pandemic, we need first to understand the extent of plastic pollution and how environmental conditions influence plastic fate and impact on water quality. Environmental conditions are complex and variable that lead to fragmentation and a changing condition of the plastic due to abiotic and biotic degradation. The condition of waste plastic (versus as manufactured) will influence the pollution severity and impact to freshwater function and services. Characterising plastic under dynamic conditions require analytics able to elucidate the plastic presence and fate processes involved. This project will aim to understand the extent and impact of plastic pollution on water quality and services through the use of established (e.g. SEM FTIR) and emerging (e.g. 3D ToF-SIMS) analytics. Outcomes will serve to understand how plastic interacts with its surrounding complex environment and implications to water quality and use by society