Microplastic: Birch trees for soil remediation
According to an interdisciplinary pilot study headed by the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) and the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam (GFZ), birch trees could help to remediate soil contaminated with microplastic. In the journal "Science of the Total Environment", the research team reports that, during the growth phase, the trees filter microplastic from the water in their vicinity and can store it in their roots.
Charting of microplastic with the help of NASA satellites
Scientists at the University of Michigan (USA) have developed, on the basis of data from a NASA satellite system, a new method for recording the global distribution of microplastics in the world's seas from outer space. From the satellite data of a NASA system close to the earth, they calculated the concentration and movements of plastic particles in the sea. According to the research team, the study also provides information on discharges of microplastic from rivers and also gives indications that the concentration of microplastic on the water’s surface changes with the seasons.
Read more … Charting of microplastic with the help of NASA satellites
Interview: "Satellite technology helps to describe the problem, but not to solve it"
Dr. Jörg Lefèvre is involved with the topic of environment-friendly and health-friendly processes and products within the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), works in the government commission of the State Government of Lower Saxony, and is a member of management boards and committees of various organisations. In these various functions, he also deals with the problems surrounding microplastic emissions and their avoidance, for example in the development and design of car tyres and textiles. In this connection, he has also become involved with the topic of data recording via satellite technology. Against this background, we asked him to appraise the process presented in this newsletter from the University of Michigan, with which movements and concentrations of plastics particles in the sea are calculated from satellite data.
Read more … Interview: "Satellite technology helps to describe the problem, but not to solve it"
Roundtable on Marine Litter formulates measures to combat microplastic
The "Roundtable on Marine Litter" goes back to an initiative by the Federal Environment Ministry and the German Environment Agency from the year 2016. It was initiated in order to develop and coordinate national measures to combat marine litter and to support their implementation. In a recent briefing paper, the working group on microplastic within the Roundtable on Marine Litter called for a fast reduction in the discharge of microplastic into the North Sea and Baltic Sea and listed 28 measures for cutting down the amount of microplastic that gets into the seas.
Read more … Roundtable on Marine Litter formulates measures to combat microplastic
BASF invests in platform for recyclate from marine plastic
BASF Venture Capital GmbH (BVC), the corporate venture company of the BASF group, has announced a strategic investment in the US company Oceanworks for the development of sustainable solutions. Via its platform, Oceanworks offers not only PCR recyclate but also recyclate from marine litter, the origin of which is said to be traceable back to its origin through digital solutions.
Read more … BASF invests in platform for recyclate from marine plastic
Experts talk about plastic litter in the seas
What are the companies that put plastic packaging into circulation undertaking to resolve the related problems? Does the answer lie in recycling and closed-loop circulation? And how does one recover plastic waste from the seas? These and other questions will be discussed by the participants in the online talk on the platform "Ihre Chemie" with experts from the consumer goods trade, environmental protection and a technology start-up.
Cleaning of the seabed by robots
A robot system that is capable or learning, currently being developed by scientists at the Technical University of Munich together with eight European partner institutes as part of the "SeaClear Projects", should in future be able to independently track down, chart and collect plastic waste from the seabed. The first test of a prototype in the Mediterranean Sea off Dubrovnik had been successful, says the research team.
Plastics in the environment: New calculations on pellet losses
The quantification of pellet losses in Germany has until now been difficult because of a lack of complete data. Pellet losses can occur during the production, processing and recycling of plastics and also during transport. On the other hand, they are also being collected and disposed of by the companies themselves through cleaning systems and cleaning measures. In a study being carried out on behalf of the BKV, pellet losses are now being documented in more detail, also taking into account recent findings. The results will soon be published as a "Special report on pellet losses".
Read more … Plastics in the environment: New calculations on pellet losses
Possible cause of contradictory impact studies on microplastics
Ecotoxicological studies on the effects of microplastics on human health and the environment have, until now, frequently produced contradictory results. In relevant studies on the health risks due to microplastics, human tissue such as intestinal cells or marine organisms such as crabs and mussels were subjected to various microplastic particle concentrations in order to research the interactions with cell tissue. These microparticles were previously categorised according to the type of plastic, the shape and the size. Their chemical and physical properties were, however, seldom taken into account. An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Bayreuth headed by Prof. Dr. Christian Laforsch has now established that the characteristics of the conventional polystyrene that is frequently used in these studies differ significantly depending on the manufacturer, and that it also affects cell tissue differently. Generalised statements on health hazards or ecological risks from microplastics are therefore considered by the scientists to be problematical.
Read more … Possible cause of contradictory impact studies on microplastics
Plastics in the sea serve as the habitat for coastal inhabitants
Coastal inhabitants such as crabs, mussels and barnacles seem to have found a way to survive in the open sea. According to a US study, they settle on plastic waste and, in this way, drift through the ocean. The phenomenon is regarded in marine biology as a paradigm change. Until now, the open sea was regarded as inhabitable for these organisms. A group of scientists from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) observed that the coastal inhabitants not only colonise the plastic waste, but many even flourish on it. How these new high-sea communities affect the eco-systems is to be the subject of further research.
Read more … Plastics in the sea serve as the habitat for coastal inhabitants