DETROIT – More than half of waste released in a given year contains plastic materials. About 10,000 metric tons of plastic enter the Great Lakes every yearand another 8 million goes into the ocean. While plastic never decomposesit does break down into much smaller — but no less environmentally hazardous — components called microplastics.

As these pollutants enter water supplies and marine environmentsthey create more profound problems for ecological and human health. Reducing microplastic pollution is one of the top priorities of leading environmental organizationsincluding the Great Lakes Protection Fundwhich recently awarded Wayne State University researchers with a three-year$929,000 grant to develop technology that will not only help zero in on microplastic sources but will also accelerate a targeted outreach and mitigation campaign.

The project is led by Yongli Zhangassistant professor of civil and environmental engineering; Mark Chengassociate professor of electrical and computer engineering; Weisong Shiprofessor of computer science; Carol Millerprofessor of civil and environmental engineering; and Donna Kashianassociate professor of biological sciences.

“The issue of plastic pollution — and more specifically microplastic pollution — is beginning to get more attention,” said Zhang. “Howeverthis is still a relatively new issue for most peopleand a great deal of outreach is still needed to make positive changes to public awareness and engagement.”

Microplastics are often remnants from larger plastic items such as water bottlesone of which can break up into over 10,000 pieces. They also come from products that contain microbeadssuch as soap or toothpasteand from textile fibers in laundry wastewater. Microplastics present a significant health threat for several reasons. Because of their tiny size — smaller than five millimeters — they easily enter food systemsoften without detection. They act as toxic spongesabsorbing large amounts of persistent organic pollutantswhich can lead to serious illnessesand interact with microbiota such as bacteria and fungiwhich play key roles in our ecosystem.

The pathway to promote positive social changes is an innovative Internet of Things (IoT) technology developed by Zhang’s team that incorporates optical sensorsmachine learning and edge computing to allow for more cost-efficient and timely monitoring and sourcing of microplastic pollution. The belief is that this knowledge will benefit public understanding of the problem and lead to behavioral changes.

“The advantages of our IoT sensors include high-throughputlow-cost and automatic measurement of chemical composition of microplastics,” said Cheng.

“By integrating the IoT technology with machine learning toolsthe sensors will provide abundant critical information for microplastic monitoringincluding the quantitysizechemical composition and ageas well as the correlation to the location and weather conditions,” said Shi.

The research team will deploy its sensors at testing sites in Pontiaca city situated about 25 miles from Wayne State’s campusand Williamstonlocated just outside of Lansing. They will monitor microplastic inputs from multiple sources including wasterwater dischargeurban runoff and agricultural zones.

“The team will leverage this data to promote mitigation initiatives such as microplastic-filtering laundry bagsstreet side garbage bins and green water infrastructures,” said Miller.

“This project can be scaled up to engage with greater numbers of community memberscivic leaders and students both at the university and K-12 levels,” said Kashian. “This will further public awareness and pollutant reduction efforts.”

In addition to the WSU research teamtwo community partners — Ingham Conservation District and ReRoot Pontiac — will collaborate on the project.