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Level National
Plastic types Microplastics Nanoplastics
Funding source UK Horizon Europe Guarantee (UK)
Project cost 309.456,92 EUR
Period December 2022 - November 2026
Geographical area Europe
Categories Ecosystems and Biodiversity Water Food and Feed Safety Environmental Science Public Health Environmental Distribution Green and Circular Economy
Tags mnp esr groundwater soil fate transport impact training programme
Description

Recent evidence of increasing accumulation of micro- and nanoplastics (MnP) in soils and groundwater raise severe concerns by agricultural and water industries, food manufacturers, regulators, environmental interest groups and citizens. Private and public sectors require detailed understanding of environmental and public health risks posed by MnP in soils and groundwater. The PlasticUnderground Doctoral Network creates supra-disciplinary intersectoral capacity for analysing the fate, transport and impacts of MnP in soils and groundwater to develop solutions for reducing their environmental and public health risks, supporting the EC's circular plastic economy strategy. The central aim of the PlasticUnderground Doctoral Network is to deliver international scientific excellence through a holistic supra-disciplinary and inter-sectoral research and training network on solutions to the emerging crisis of MnP pollution in subsurface ecosystems in soils and groundwater, integrating knowledge across traditional discipline boundaries to benefit the public and private sectors. The supra-disciplinary research programme includes unique training opportunities for a cohort of 10 Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) (plus one individually funded through ETHZ as Associated Country partner) in environmental and social science, ecotoxicology, soil science and aquatic ecology, analytical chemistry, agronomy, data science and numerical modelling as well as responsible innovation, method standardization for use in regulatory decision making and risk assessment. The integrated training programme will prepare ESRs with skill sets that are urgently required in agricultural, water, chemical, and manufacturing industries, environmental and regulatory agencies, academia, and the public sector and includes training provision by key stakeholders that will directly benefit from the training in this network.

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Knowledge Gaps

Environmental fate and behavior of plastic

Degradation

Environmental effects and ecotoxicity

Environmental exposure

Environmental risk assessment (ERA)

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