ABSTRACT:

Data for a study in Portland, OR determining the occurrence of microplastics in stormwater catch basins and the potential effectiveness of stormwater biofilters in removing microplastics as described in a manuscript by Wolfand et al. (2023).
The README file provide details for the following data: (1) Results from grab samples taken from five catch basins during four storm events. Suspected microplastics were quantified visually with a microscope and confirmed with FTIR. (2) Results from a column study that was conducted to determine the removal of microplastics by three types of geomedia: a proprietary mix, the City of Portland standard mix, and layered compost and sand. Each geomedia was tested in triplicate for five tests.

Link to study: https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/JOEEDU.EEENG-7285

ABSTRACT:

Educational resources for a litter collection service-learning project integrated into a MATLAB programming course. Students collect litter data using an app, and then process that data in MATLAB to answer a variety of research questions. The project is best conducted over several weeks and is ideal for an introduction to MATLAB course. Discussions could include MATLAB concepts in addition to plastic pollution and engineering/science for social responsibility.