My research

I am a chemist and a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, working on a project regarding microplastic analysis in biofertilizers with the aid of AI. This project comprehends several steps, from treating solid samples to characterizing microplastics with the spectroscopy technique called optical photothermal infrared (O-PTIR). This work will provide information on how microplastics can accumulate in the environment and will develop an integrated tool using AI to monitor microplastics in environmental matrices. Therefore, my research will focus on laboratory work treating the samples and chemical characterization of these particles. In this way, we will create conditions for producers and authorities to assess the risk of microplastic particles more easily when recycling the residual products.

My background

In 2022, I completed my PhD in Chemistry at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. My research was a pioneer in Brazil on microplastic contamination in freshwater systems. During my Ph.D. I have collected water samples for two years by surface trawling the dynamics of the presence and transport of these particles in one of the leading aquatic ecosystems of Latin America, the River Guaíba, south of Brazil. I worked on the treatment of the samples and conducted the physical characterization using a microscope and the chemical characterization with FTIR-ATR, micro-FTIR, and micro-Raman.

Additionally, I explored microplastics' degradation profile through carbonyl indexes. This study demonstrated how microplastics are affected by environmental stressors since the microplastics found have, in general, several different levels of erosion and color fading. In addition, the contamination was positively influenced by the population density, precipitations, and depth of each sampling point, showing that the distribution of these particles is complex, and an interdisciplinary approach is needed. Therefore, this data was essential at the local, national, and worldwide levels, contributing to the comprehensive monitoring of freshwater systems.