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This content will become publicly available on June 1, 2025

Title: Microplastic Volatile Organic Compounds Found within Chrysaora chesapeakei in the Patuxent River, Maryland

Microplastics are tangible particles of less than 0.2 inches in diameter that are ubiquitously distributed in the biosphere and accumulate in water bodies. During the east-coast hot summers (23–29 °C) of 2021 and 2022, June through September, we captured copious amounts of the jellyfish Chrysaora chesapeakei, a predominant species found in the Patuxent River of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland on the United States East Coast. We determined that their gelatinous bodies trapped many microplastics through fluorescent microscopy studies using Rhodamine B staining and Raman Spectroscopy. The chemical nature of the microplastics was detected using gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy headspace (SPME-GC-MS) and solvent extraction (GC-MS) methods through a professional commercial materials evaluation laboratory. Numerous plastic-affiliated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from diverse chemical origins and their functional groups (alkanes, alkenes, acids, aldehydes, ketones, ethers, esters, and alcohols) along with other non-microplastic volatile organic compounds were observed. Our findings corroborate data in the available scientific literature, distinguishing our finding’s suitability.

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Award ID(s):
2022887
PAR ID:
10562587
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
MDPI
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Microplastics
Volume:
3
Issue:
2
ISSN:
2673-8929
Page Range / eLocation ID:
250 to 263
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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