{"id":535,"date":"2026-03-26T10:41:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/borch\/?post_type=research&#038;p=535"},"modified":"2026-03-26T10:41:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:41:04","slug":"polymer-additives-research","status":"publish","type":"research","link":"https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/borch\/research\/polymer-additives-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Polymer Additives Research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- block -->\n<div class=\"custom-block-wrapper tabs-block vertical stylized lite top-spacing-default bottom-spacing-default\">\n\n    <!-- title -->\n        <!-- END title -->\n\n    <!-- tabs container -->\n    <div class=\"tabs_container\">\n\n        <!-- controls -->\n        <ul class=\"tabs vertical\" data-tabs id=\"tab_controls\">\n\n            <li class=\"tabs-title is-active\"><a href=\"#panel-1\">Metabolic Transformation of Inhaled\/Ingested Rubber Additives<\/a><li class=\"tabs-title\"><a href=\"#panel-2\">Characterizing Polymer Degradation, Additive Release, and Additive Degradation in Agricultural Plastics<\/a>\n        <\/ul>\n        <!-- END controls -->\n\n        <!-- panels -->\n        <div class=\"tabs-content\" data-tabs-content=\"tab_controls\"> \n\n            <div class=\"tabs-panel is-active has-background\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/borch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/03\/truck-pivot-sprinkler-1080x700-min.jpg);\"\" id=\"panel-1\"><p>Humans come in contact with rubber products every day, and we value those products for their longevity, versatility, and stability. However, the additives used in those rubber products can be concerning for human and ecological health. For example, road runoff containing rubber additives such as 6PPD from tires have been known to be toxic to aquatic life for years. Humans can come into contact with these additives in a number of ways: they can be present in foods grown near highways, or can even be inhaled from the air of climbing gyms. To better understand the effects that exposure to these compounds can have on people, we need to study the metabolic transformation that occurs to these additives once they are inside the human body. Here, we propose combining transcriptomic analysis with high resolution mass spectrometry to understand the metabolic transformation pathways these additives take, and help predict toxicity.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"tabs-panel has-background\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/borch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/03\/plastic-mulch-tarp-1080x700-min.jpg);\"\" id=\"panel-2\"><p>Plastic mulches are used worldwide due to their low cost, easy application, and efficacy in keeping the ground wet and warm. However, a season of UV exposure can cause these mulches to become brittle and fragment into microplastics, making removal challenging. To combat this, biodegradable mulches have been becoming more popular in recent years. However, due to the challenges that come with measuring polymer changes in a complex matrix like soil, true degradation of these mulches is difficult to characterize. Additionally, the additives used in these mulches are for the most part uncharacterized, and their ability to degrade in soil is unknown. Because certain plastic additives are known to have harmful human health effects, it is important to understand their fate in the soil that is used to grow our food. Additionally, metal catalysts that may be present in these plastics such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic can greatly impact soil health. In this project, we seek to characterize the true biodegradation and additive release from these plastic mulches with high resolution mass spectrometry, non-targeted analysis, and GPC.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <!-- END panels -->\n\n    <\/div>\n    <!-- END tabs container -->\n\n<\/div>\n<!-- END block -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":536,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true},"class_list":["post-535","research","type-research","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/borch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research\/535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/borch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/borch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/research"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/borch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/borch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}