Project Title
Mapping Microfibers in Lake Allatoona Water
Academic department under which the project should be listed
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Research Mentor Name
Marina Koether
Additional Faculty
Dr. Amy Gruss, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, arguss@kennesaw.edu
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Microfibers were found during a water study at six beach locations on Lake Allatoona. This lake is manmade, fed by a river and flows into a river via a power plant and dam. A wastewater plant discharges into the lake. Five plankton nets were used at each location to skim the water and retain the microfibers. After digestion, microfibers were counted by microscopy. Results ranged from 14.2 to 7.3 microfibers per m3. These results indicate that a concentration gradient of microfibers exists based on the distance from the wastewater plant.
Disciplines
Analytical Chemistry | Environmental Chemistry | Environmental Monitoring | Water Resource Management
Mapping Microfibers in Lake Allatoona Water
Microfibers were found during a water study at six beach locations on Lake Allatoona. This lake is manmade, fed by a river and flows into a river via a power plant and dam. A wastewater plant discharges into the lake. Five plankton nets were used at each location to skim the water and retain the microfibers. After digestion, microfibers were counted by microscopy. Results ranged from 14.2 to 7.3 microfibers per m3. These results indicate that a concentration gradient of microfibers exists based on the distance from the wastewater plant.