Research Interests

Dr. Alexander Tagg is a postdoctoral researcher in microplastic pollution. He is currently working as part of the MicroCatch_Balt project here at the IOW, which aims to model anthropogenic microplastic pollution output based on the Warnow as an exemplary river system. Within this framework, Dr. Tagg has particular research interests in new microplastic pathways, such as agricultural land runoff. Additionally, he also continues his research into microplastic biofilm dynamics.

Dr. Tagg completed his Ph.D. at Swansea University, UK. This Ph.D. was concerned with assessing the fate of microplastics derived from industrial and domestic products in the water treatment process. This included the use of next-generation sequencing to investigate microplastic-biofilm formation in wastewater. Additionally, during this Ph.D., Dr. Tagg developed a new technique for identifying and quantifying microplastics using spectroscopic imaging, utilising a focal plane array-based reflectance micro-Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopic (FPA-based reflectance microFT-IR) approach. 

Relevant Publications

Tagg, A. S., Sapp, M., Harrison, J. P., & Ojeda, J. J. (2015). Identification and Quantification of Microplastics in Wastewater Using Focal Plane Array-Based Reflectance Micro-FT-IR Imaging. Analytical Chemistry, 87(12), 6032–6040.

Tagg, A. S., Harrison, J., Ju-Nam, Y. K., Sapp, M., Bradley, E. L., Sinclair, C. J., & Ojeda, J. J. (2016). Fenton’s reagent for the rapid and efficient isolation of microplastics from wastewater. Chemical Communications, 53, 372–375. 

Harrison, J. P., Hoellein, T. J., Sapp, M., & Tagg, A. S. (2018). Freshwater Microplastics, 58, 181–201.