BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//142.1.176.100//NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.26.9// CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Chemical Engineering &\; Applied Chemistry X-WR-CALDESC: X-FROM-URL:https://chem-eng.utoronto.ca X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Toronto BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Toronto X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Toronto BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20231105T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 RDATE:20241103T020000 TZNAME:EST END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20240310T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 RDATE:20250309T020000 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-21147@chem-eng.utoronto.ca DTSTAMP:20240329T115112Z CATEGORIES: CONTACT:Delicia Ansalem\; delicia.ansalem@utoronto.ca DESCRIPTION:
External members are required to register to receive the link and passcode. Registration closed at 9am on April 11.
\nCo-hosted with the
Host: Pr of. Jay Werber
\nThe degradation of bulk plastics in th e environment leads to the release of microplastics that can contaminate w ater supplies\, agricultural fields\, and foods we consume. Weathering of a single microplastic particle can yield up to billions of nanoplastics an d nanoplastic pollution is expected to be ubiquitous in the environment. N anoplastics are potentially more hazardous than microplastics because they can cross biological membranes\; yet\, there is little data on the occurr ence\, fate and impacts of nanoplastics. A key challenge in understanding the environmental burden of nanoplastics is the detection of such small\, carbon-based particles in complex natural matrices such as soils.
\nEnvironmental nanoplastics are often thought of as an extension of micropl astics with a distinction based on an arbitrary size cut-off\, typically 1 00 nm or 1000 nm. In our view\, in terms of environmental implications and analytical challenges\, a size cut-off distinction provides little guidan ce. While a consensus on the precise definition of “nanoplastic” has yet t o be reached\, we advocate for a characteristic-based distinction between nanoplastics and microplastics. Based on existing literature and analytica l methods\, we present a set of characteristics\, distinct from microplast ics and other contaminants\, that define environmental nanoplastics.
\nThis lecture will present an overview of our work aimed at overcoming c hallenges to better understand the fate and impacts of nanoplastics in ter restrial and aquatic environments. I will discuss new approaches for detec tion of nanoplastics in complex matrices and recent advances in our unders tanding of the toxicity of nanoplastics.
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\nNathalie Tufenkji is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at McGill University where she hold s the Tier I Canada Research Chair in Biocolloids and Surfaces. She works in the area of particle-surface interactions with applications in protecti on of water resources\, plastic pollution as well as the discovery of natu ral antimicrobials. Professor Tufenkji was awarded the Killam Research Fel lowship\, the Engineers Canada Award for the Support of Women in the Engin eering Profession\, the Chemical Institute of Canada Environment Award\, a n Early Career Research Excellence Award by the Faculty of Engineering at McGill University\, the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in Science and Tec hnology\, and the Hatch Innovation Award of the Canadian Society for Chemi cal Engineers. She was elected to the College of New Scholars\, Artists an d Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada in 2016 and the Canadian Acade my of Engineering in 2020. Beyond her research and teaching roles\, Profes sor Tufenkji also serves as Associate Director of the Brace Center for Wat er Resources Management at McGill and has co-chaired several major interna tional conferences. She has also served on the editorial advisory boards o f the journals Environmental Science and Technology\, npj Clean Water\ , Water Research\, Colloids and Surfaces B\, Advances in Colloid and Inter face Science\, and Environmental Science: Nano.
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View the complete 2021-22 LLE schedule
\nQuestions? Please contact Delicia Ansalem\, Commun ications Officer & External Relations Liaison delicia.ansalem@utoronto.ca
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20220413T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20220413T130000 LOCATION:Zoom SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:LLE: Nanoplastics in Our Environment: Small Particles with Big Chal lenges (Nathalie Tufenkji\, McGill) URL:https://chem-eng.utoronto.ca/event/lle-nathalie-tufenkji/ X-COST-TYPE:free END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR