CAREER: Understanding Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Chemical Behavior of Pollutants in Heterogeneous Environmental Systems

With support from the Environmental Chemical Sciences Program and the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Emanuela Gionfriddo at the University of Toledo and her team will study the partitioning of organic pollutants in multi-phase environmental systems. Organic pollutants are continuously released to the environment by industrial and agricultural activities and use of pharmaceuticals. These pollutants can alter environmental processes and have far-reaching effects on humans and wildlife. Upon their release, organic pollutants partition with natural and anthropogenic substrates in the environment, establishing complex multiphasic equilibria that affect their chemical behavior. This research focuses on characterizing the molecular interactions that drive these partition equilibria. This research has the potential to improve understanding of the transport, distribution, and fate of organic pollutants in the environment and biota. The Gionfriddo team uses micro-extraction methodologies to probe the distribution of organic pollutants in heterogeneous systems. Of particular interest are emerging classes of organic pollutants, such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and perfluoroalkyl substances and their degradation products, and how they partition and interact under naturally occurring environmental conditions. These research objectives are integrated with efforts to promote public engagement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Summer research activities will introduce members of underrepresented minority groups to scientific research and career opportunities through mentoring and hands-on experimentation. Emanuela Gionfriddo and coworkers will study the molecular behavior of organic pollutants partitioning onto natural polymers using task-specific micro-extraction devices. This will improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of organic pollutants and microplastics interactions under naturally occurring environmental conditions. Partitioning phenomena of organic pollutants among anthropogenic polymers, aqueous media, and aerosols will be quantified. The use of tunable micro-extraction methodologies is expected to enable precise assessment of the dynamics of partitioning processes in multicomponent systems without disturbing the equilibria under investigation. This aims to provide solutions for the study of environmental chemistry processes and separation science strategies to evaluate phenomena of transport and magnification of organic pollutants in distinct environmental compartments. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.