Research output per year
Research output per year
Overview
Profile summary
Francesca is a material scientist working on microplastic pollution since 2015. She holds a PhD in Materials Engineering with a thesis on “Microplastic pollution from synthetic textiles: quantitative analysis and mitigation strategies”, for which she was awarded the Eni Award 2020 “Young Researcher of the Year”. Francesca has worked for many years in Italy at the Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IPCB) gaining expertise on material characterisation techniques, detection and quantification of microplastics, mitigation strategies for microfibre pollution, functional modifications of materials and nanocomposites.
Since 2021, Francesca has been a member of the International Marine Litter Research Unit at the University of Plymouth, working on the NERC-funded BIO-PLASTIC-RISK project. She investigates the environmental fate of biodegradable plastics and applies Py-GC-MS and other techniques to understand and trace plastic degradation in the environment.
She is author of 20 academic journal papers, four book chapters and one edited book. She has presented at and been invited to many international conferences and workshops, with experience also in outreach events and media engagement. For her research contributions, she acted as consultant for the OECD and member of technical panels.
Roles on external bodies
- 2022 – present; Core Member of the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, supporting the development of the UN Global Plastics Treaty.
- 2022 – 2023; Member of the Technical Panel of UNI (Italian certification body, member of CEN and ISO) for the development of the "Guidelines for reducing microplastics emissions in food production and distribution activities" (UNI/PdR 158:2024).
- 2023 – Member of the Assessment Panel for the UKRI Circular Fashion and textile programme call.
- 2021 – External Consultant for the OECD to contribute to the report “Policies to reduce microplastics pollution in water: focus on textiles and tyres”.
Guest editor of the following special issues:
- "Advanced Polymer Based Materials: Production, Characterization and Applications" of the Journal Polymers, MDPI.
- "Textile Microfibers Pollution: Impacts, Behavior, and Mitigation" of the Journal Applied Sciences, MDPI
Reviewer for the following academic peer-review journals:
- Environmental Science and Technology
- Environmental Pollution
- Environmental Science and Pollution Research
- Journal of Hazardous Materials
- Environmental Science and Technology Letters
- Science of the Total Environment
- Water, Air, & Soil Pollution
- Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
- Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis
- Water Research
- Chemosphere
- Textile Research Journal
- Microplastics and nanoplastics
Supervised research degrees
2022 – Present: Chun Yin Choi, PhD student, University of Plymouth, UK, PhD topic: “Investigation the release and behaviour of plastic nanofibers to air and the marine environment”.
2023: Vasiliki Soursou, PhD student, University of Valencia, Spain, visiting research period at the University of Plymouth on “Study of the release and fate of textile fibers in the environment”.
2022: Tommaso Nacci, PhD student, University of Pisa, Italy, visiting research period at the University of Plymouth on “Monitoring the degradation processes affecting materials made of biodegradable polymers in different environmental matrices”.
2020: Michela Volgare, Master’s student in Materials Engineering, University of Napoli “Federico II”, Italy, Master’s thesis: “Influence of detergent type on microplastic release during washing process of synthetic textiles”.
Teaching interests
I provide lectures on the topics of microplastic pollution and biodegradable plastics for different courses at the University of Plymouth
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Deterioration of bio-based polylactic acid plastic teabags under environmental conditions and their associated effects on earthworms
Courtene-Jones, W., Burgevin, F., Munns, L., Shillam, M. B. T., De Falco, F., Buchard, A., Handy, R., Thompson, R. & Hanley, M., 15 Jul 2024, In: Science of the Total Environment. 934, 172806.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile35 Downloads (Pure) -
Effect of the age of garments used under real-life conditions on microfibre release from polyester and cotton clothing
Fernandes, A. N., Lara, L. Z., De Falco, F., Turner, A. & Thompson, R. C., 1 May 2024, In: Environmental Pollution. 348, 123806.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Cellular disturbance and thermal stress response in mussels exposed to synthetic and natural microfibers
Pittura, L., Nardi, A., Cocca, M., De Falco, F., d’Errico, G., Mazzoli, C., Mongera, F., Benedetti, M., Gorbi, S., Avella, M. & Regoli, F., 18 Aug 2022, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 9Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Innovative Approaches to Mitigate Microfibre Pollution
De Falco, F. & Cocca, M., 28 Mar 2022, Polluting Textiles. Routledge, p. 245-264Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Introduction to Textile Pollution
Weis, J. S., Cocca, M. & De Falco, F., 28 Mar 2022, Polluting Textiles. Routledge, p. 1-11Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review