The special project on microplastics of the Foundation Committee was launched

On October 20, the Basic Science Section of the National Natural Science Foundation of China launched a special project
on "Environmental Chemical Behavior and Effects of Microplastics".
The project funding period is 4 years, and the funding intensity is 3 million yuan
each.

The project aims to carry out systematic research on detection methods, interface behavior, migration and transformation in response to the major national needs and key scientific issues of microplastic pollution prevention and control, lead the frontier research of basic science in the field of microplastics, and provide scientific basis and theoretical basis
for ensuring the ecological environment and human health.

There are four funding directions for this project: first, new detection methods and pollution characteristics of microplastics in the environment, including research on the separation and enrichment technology of microplastics in complex environments and biological matrices, and the development of microplastics, especially nano-scale plastics, identification methods, highly sensitive rapid detection methods and traceability technology; The second is the interfacial chemical behavior of microplastics in the environment, including studying the formation mechanism and interface behavior of microplastics in the environment, revealing their physical, chemical and biological transformation processes and molecular mechanisms, and exploring the release process of toxic substances in microplastics under environmental conditions and the interaction mechanism with environmental media and coexisting pollutants; Third, the toxicity and health effects of microplastics in the environment; The fourth is the principle of reduction and control of
microplastics in the environment.