Environemental chips for micro to nanoplastics biodegradation studies – ELIMINATORS

If the presence of huge amounts of microplastics in all ecosystems is now clearly established, with a majority in aquatic environments, it is difficult to assess the consequences of this exposure to biota. Now the question of nanoplastics arises potentially because the transition to the nanoscale is associated with change in properties and fate. At present, the difficulty to detect and study micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) in the environment using conventional methods clearly indicate the need to develop environmental monitoring tools that are sensitive, fast, cost-effective, portable, and facilitate multiple compound analysis. In view of this need, microfluidic chips that are widely used and developed for health research and applications appear to be a technology with great potential for environmental applications. In the ELIMINATORS project, we ambition to use aquatic microcosms on chips developed at the CEA in order to (i) study the continuous evolution (degradation, fragmentation…) over time (> 1 month) of unlabelled or 13C/2H labelled micro or nanoparticles in aquatic environment (fresh water, sea water...). This will be achieved through continuous monitoring over time (> 1 month) of their interaction with microorganisms (biofilm formation and dynamic of microbial communities) and analyses of the flow exiting the chips. (ii) To characterize at different geographical points the microorganisms that colonize plastics in order to identify those that can contribute to its biodegradation.