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Level National
Plastic types Microplastics
Funding source German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) Research for Sustainable Development (FONA), Framework Programme of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Project cost 2.841.000,00 EUR
Period September 2017 - August 2020
Geographical area Europe
Categories Water Wastewater Treatment Degradation Consumer Products Public Health Human Exposure Green and Circular Economy
Tags water drinking water wastewater treatment
Project partners
  • aquadrat ingenieure GmbH - Germany,
  • Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde (BfG) - Germany,
  • Goethe University Frankfurt - Germany,
  • inge GmbH - Germany,
  • ISOE – Institut für sozial-ökologische Forschung GmbH - Germany,
  • IWW Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wasserforschung gemeinnützige GmbH - Germany,
  • Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Analytics (IPF) - Germany,
  • Leibniz-Institut für Ostseeforschung Warnemünde Stiftung - Germany,
  • Technical University of Darmstadt, Institute IWAR - Germany
Description

Reducing Input of Microplastics into Inland Waters: The common element of all investigations in PLASTRAT was the development of solution strategies for sustainable limitation of the spread of plastic residues in the aquatic environment on technical, environmental, scientific and social-ecological levels. The objective consisted of developing a multi-criteria evaluation approach for the environmental compatibility of different types of plastics. In addition, a quality label for practical application was designed. The focus lay on the analysis and evaluation of the degradation stages of different types of plastics as well as leaching, adsorption and desorption in different wastewater treatment stages, the effects of different plastic species (in different degradation stages) and their additives on aquatic organisms in limnic systems, as well as a risk characterisation of the human toxicological effect of microplastics on consumers of drinking water. Furthermore, the emphasis is put on the quantification and technical reduction potential (e.g. use of membrane technology) of plastic emissions in urban water management, including sewage sludge/fermentation residue treatment, taking into account suitable sampling, treatment and analysis methods. Besides, studies were carried out on the social relevance, i.e. how plastics are handled in German households, what demands the consumer places on plastics, what possibilities exist for the use of substitutes and the resulting effects on commerce, logistics and consumers.

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Knowledge Gaps

Degradation

Environmental fate and behavior of plastic

Environmental effects and ecotoxicity

Environmental exposure

Human toxicity

Chronic or long-term effects, multiple forms and/or sources

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