Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences

Microplastics in Water Treatment Residuals

Amber Lopez, who recently earned her B.S. in Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences with a specialization in water science, conducted undergraduate research under the mentorship of Dr. Jonathan Judy, assistant professor of soil and water chemistry. Her project, which the University Scholars Program supported with funding, focused on a pressing environmental issue: the extraction and quantification of microplastics found in aluminum, iron, and calcium drinking water treatment residuals.

“I began my research journey in Spring 2023, after gaining experience as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in Dr. Judy’s lab,” Amber said. “I had become proficient in a variety of laboratory techniques, including acid digestions and XRD sample preparation, and wanted to expand my involvement.”

With Dr. Judy’s guidance, she developed a research proposal that became the foundation of her independent project. The first semester was devoted to building her understanding of microplastic contamination through extensive literature review.

“I read nearly a hundred journal articles before I even started writing my first manuscript,” she recalled.

A college student stands in front of her research poster at a symposium.
^{Amber Lopez at the 25th Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium.}

Developing the experimental procedure proved to be an exercise in patience and persistence. “Science, I quickly learned, is rarely straightforward,” Amber said. “From exploding samples due to too much hydrogen peroxide to failed oxidation times, I revised my method repeatedly based on trial and error and published protocols.” After about six iterations, doubt began to creep in—but Dr. Judy provided steady encouragement. “He reminded me that science is messy, and it takes time.”

Despite the challenges, she presented her preliminary findings at the 2024 UF Spring Research Symposium and remained determined to finish her project before graduation. Once Amber finalized a reliable method and collected her results, she began writing her manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.