My work: micro- and nanoplastic particles
In detail, my PhD project is focused on the study of micro- and nanoplastic particles in the aquatic and marine environment. The work comprises three major parts:
1) Development of new innovative sampling methods for micro- and nanoplastic particles that contribute to a better understanding of the particles’ occurrence, distribution and fate in aquatic environments (development, validation and application).
2) To study the interactions between microplastic particles and metal ions in aquatic media (development of validated analytical protocols suitable for the most relevant synthetic polymer types, sorption and desorption studies).
3) Evaluation of Quantum-Cascade-Laser-based IR-Imaging as a promising tool for microplastic identification and size characterization.
My research interests in the field of environmental and analytical chemistry lie in the following areas:
- Application of chemically labelled nanoplastic for mechanistic studies (traceable by ICP-MS/MS).
- New tools for microplastic sampling from water bodies by fractionated filtration, hydrocyclones and continuous flow centrifugation.
- Environmental microplastic analysis by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, FTIR microspectroscopy and Quantum-Cascade-Laser-based IR-Imaging.
- Multielemental analysis of macro- and microplastic (by ICP-MS/MS) focusing on metal ions sorbed to microplastic particles and metal additives stemming from the production.
- Development/analysis of potential certified microplastic reference materials.
- Application of metrological tools
Meet me also at research gate
Education
- Since 2018 PhD student at Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht affiliated with Universität Hamburg
- 2017 Master thesis at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
- 2016 – 2017 Master’s program: Chemistry and Business Studies (MSc), Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
- 2011 – 2015 Bachelor’s program: Chemistry and Business Studies (BSc), Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
Teaching
- Lecture in the public ring lecture „Ausgewählte Kapitel der Toxikologie und Umweltmedizin“ at the University of Kiel (summer semester 2018 and winter semester 2019)
- Assistant for the lab course “Water Chemistry and Analysis” at FH/TH Lübeck (summer semesters 2018 and 2019)
- Scientific assistant in inorganic laboratory courses for Geology, Physics and Materials Science students at the University of Kiel (2014 – 2015)
- Hildebrandt, L., Mitrano, D.M., Zimmermann, T., & Pröfrock, D. (2020): A Nanoplastic Sampling and Enrichment Approach by Continuous Flow Centrifugation. Front. Environ. Sci., 30 June 2020, doi:10.3389/fenvs.2020.00089
- Hildebrandt, L., von der Au, M., Zimmermann, T., Reese, A., Ludwig, J., & Pröfrock, D. (2020): A metrologically traceable protocol for the quantification of trace metals in different types of microplastic. PLoS ONE 15(7): e0236120, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0236120
- Lechthaler, S.E., Hildebrandt, L., Stauch, G., & Schüttrumpf, H. (2020): Canola Oil Extraction in Conjunction with a Plastic Free Separation Unit Optimises Microplastics Monitoring in Water and Sediment. Anal. Methods, doi:10.1039/D0AY01574A, accepted
- Zimmermann, T., von der Au, M., Reese, A., Klein, O., Hildebrandt, L., & Pröfrock, D. (2020): Substituting HF by HBF4 – an optimized digestion method for multi-elemental sediment analysis via ICP-MS/MS. Anal. Methods, 2020, doi:10.1039/D0AY01049A
- Hildebrandt, L., Voigt, N., Zimmermann, T., Reese, A., & Proefrock, D. (2019): Evaluation of continuous flow centrifugation as an alternative technique to sample microplastic from water bodies. Marine Environmental Research, 2019, 104768, doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2019.104768
- Lorenz, C., Roscher, L., Meyer, M.S., Hildebrandt, L., Prume, J., Löder, M.G.J., & Gerdts, G. (2019): Spatial distribution of microplastics in sediments and surface waters of the southern North Sea. Environmental Pollution, 252, 1719-1729, doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2019.06.093