“Harnessing Chemistry to Remove Nanoplastics from Water”
Speaker: Gary Baker, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Missouri-Columbia
Date: January 28, 2025, noon-1 p.m.
Location: Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health Building, Atkins Family Seminar Room
*Zoom option available
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Description
Past research has raised concerns that microplastics and nanoplastics could have harmful health effects. A recent human study in the New England Journal of Medicine linked their presence in the plaque of blood vessels to a two to four-fold greater risk of cardiovascular complications like heart attack or stroke.
Dr. Gary Baker, a University of Missouri chemist, has become an expert on engineering “designer solvents,” which are liquids with chemical structures specialized for tasks like water purification. They’re a cost-effective way to help capture heavy metals, pesticides, radionuclides, PFAS (aka “forever chemicals”) and now these tiny plastic particles.
“Nanoplastics are a bit more nefarious [than microplastics] because they can be hundreds, even thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair,” says Dr. Baker. “They’re small enough that they can interact with cell membranes. They can start to intercalate in tissue.”
About the Speaker
Gary Baker is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Missouri, where he leads pioneering research in sustainable chemistry and nanotechnology to address pressing environmental, energy, and health challenges. An expert in the development of designer solvents for complex problem-solving, Baker’s work has gained national recognition, most recently for his advancements in using solvent-based strategies to remove nanoplastics from water. His breakthrough approach, which achieves over 98% efficiency in nanoplastic removal, utilizes water-repellent, non-toxic solvents, presenting a highly sustainable solution for water purification. Baker earned his BS in Chemistry from the State University of New York at Oswego and his PhD in Chemistry from the University at Buffalo. Before joining Mizzou, he conducted research at Oak Ridge and Los Alamos National Laboratories, where he received several honors, including the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2008. He has published over 325 peer-reviewed articles, with his research garnering over 30,000 citations to date.
About the Discovery Series
The NextGen Precision Health Discovery Series provides learning opportunities for UM System faculty and staff across disciplines, the statewide community and our other partners to learn about the scope of precision health research and identify potential collaborative opportunities. The series consists of monthly lectures geared toward a broad multidisciplinary audience so all can participate and appreciate the spectrum of precision health efforts.
For questions about this event or any others in the Discovery Series, please reach out to Mackenzie Lynch.