Mitigating Toxicological Effects of PS-NH2 Nanoparticles on Chlorella sp. in Heavy Metal Remediation Systems using Humic Acid

Overview

Nanoplastics are artificial polymers ranging from 1 µm to 1 nm. There has been a huge increase in nanoplastics due to the environmental degradation of microplastics via wind, water, and UV degradation. Nanoplastics have not been as studied as microplastics due to their minuscule size, making them harder to detect. More research has come out recently showing the true abundance of nanoplastics in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Nanoplastics have been found in great quantities in tap and bottled water leading to the i ngestion of nanoplastics in both animals and humans. Microalgae -based Water Treatment Technologies (MWTT) have been rapidly researched recently as they serve as a more eco -friendly alternative method compared to conventional storm and wastewater purificati on techniques of organic compounds and heavy metals. Many papers have shown there may be a correlation between increased nanoplastic concentration and toxicological microalgae. If a positively charged nanoplastic such as PS -NH2, it will increase the chemic al distress it causes on the microalgae, and impact various organelles such as the mitochondria, cell vacuole, and cell membrane. However, humic acid is known to change the zeta potential of the NPs and thus mitigate its effects due to the lessening of the van der Waals force. This study hopes to better understand the biochemical process of nanoplastic toxicity in the genus Chlorella Sp. how humic acid can mitigate positively charged nanoplastic toxicity and analyze the efficacy of heavy metal remediation of copper and zinc.