Two-Year Collection, Isolation and Counting of Microfibers and Measuring of Trace Metals in Lake Allatoona Sand
Disciplines
Environmental Chemistry | Environmental Monitoring
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Microfibers and trace metals are present on all beaches. In Lake Allatoona, a man-made lake, one of the greatest contributors is a wastewater plant upstream. The increasing concentration of microfibers and trace metals are an environmental concern. The purpose of this study is to determine any year over year increases in microfibers in Lake Allatoona and trace metals. In addition, the purpose of this research is to find any trends as to where microfibers are found in Lake Allatoona. The methods begin with obtaining sand samples. Sand samples are taken from six beaches at the start of every year during low water levels in a spot that would be underwater during high water levels. The sand is stored in a fridge and then dried in an oven before use. Three samples are portioned out for each beach site. The samples are flooded with a salt solution and run through a series of sieves, density separations, oxidation reactions, and placed inside a gravity funnel. Liquid not containing microfibers is discarded, and the remaining solution is filtered through filter paper using a vacuum filtration system and the filter papers containing the microfibers are stored in a petri dish. All microfibers are counted on the filter paper using a microscope. The results will include all microfiber concentrations and correlations between years and location. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) sample pucks are filled with the unused original dried sand and scanned using an XRF instrument. The XRF measures the composition of all trace metals in the sample. Trace metals of interest will be documented in our findings. Year-over-year changes will be presented with potential explanations.
Use of AI Disclaimer
no
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CSM – Chemistry and Biochemistry
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dr. Marina Koether
Two-Year Collection, Isolation and Counting of Microfibers and Measuring of Trace Metals in Lake Allatoona Sand
Microfibers and trace metals are present on all beaches. In Lake Allatoona, a man-made lake, one of the greatest contributors is a wastewater plant upstream. The increasing concentration of microfibers and trace metals are an environmental concern. The purpose of this study is to determine any year over year increases in microfibers in Lake Allatoona and trace metals. In addition, the purpose of this research is to find any trends as to where microfibers are found in Lake Allatoona. The methods begin with obtaining sand samples. Sand samples are taken from six beaches at the start of every year during low water levels in a spot that would be underwater during high water levels. The sand is stored in a fridge and then dried in an oven before use. Three samples are portioned out for each beach site. The samples are flooded with a salt solution and run through a series of sieves, density separations, oxidation reactions, and placed inside a gravity funnel. Liquid not containing microfibers is discarded, and the remaining solution is filtered through filter paper using a vacuum filtration system and the filter papers containing the microfibers are stored in a petri dish. All microfibers are counted on the filter paper using a microscope. The results will include all microfiber concentrations and correlations between years and location. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) sample pucks are filled with the unused original dried sand and scanned using an XRF instrument. The XRF measures the composition of all trace metals in the sample. Trace metals of interest will be documented in our findings. Year-over-year changes will be presented with potential explanations.