Publications by authors named "Brianna N Peterson"
Microplastic particles are of increasing environmental concern due to the widespread uncontrolled degradation of various commercial products made of plastic and their associated waste disposal. Recently, common technology used to repair sewer pipes was reported as one of the emission sources of airborne microplastics in urban areas. This research presents results of the multi-modal comprehensive chemical characterization of the microplastic particles related to waste discharged in the pipe repair process and compares particle composition with the components of uncured resin and cured plastic composite used in the process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiversity of organic components in airborne waste discharged from sewer pipe repairs.
Environ Sci Process Impacts
October 2023
Article Synopsis
- Air-discharged waste from trenchless sewer pipe repairs is emerging as a significant yet under-researched source of urban pollution.
- A study analyzed the complex molecular composition of waste condensate samples from these repairs, revealing a diverse array of organic species with varying molecular weights and structures.
- The identified compounds pose environmental concerns due to their potential to form secondary organic aerosols and solid nanoplastics, with concentrations found in the condensates often exceeding regulatory limits.
Article Synopsis
- * Current understanding of these environmental nanoplastics (EnvNPs) focuses on their origin as weathered plastic debris, while the direct atmospheric emissions from sewer repair technologies remain overlooked.
- * Research indicates that significant amounts of EnvNPs may be released into the air from waste produced during sewer pipe repairs, raising concerns about urban air quality and health risks that warrant attention.
Nitrogen heterocycles are known to be important light-absorbing chromophores in a newly discovered class of aerosols, commonly referred to as "brown carbon" (BrC) aerosols. Due to their significant absorption and spectral overlap with the solar actinic flux, these BrC chromophores steer the physical and optical properties of aerosols. To model the local aqueous solvation environment surrounding BrC chromophores, we generated cold molecular complexes with water and a prototypical BrC chromophore, 1-phenylpyrrole (1PhPy), using supersonic jet-cooling and explored their intermolecular interactions using single-conformation spectroscopy.
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