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How can plastic litter in the seas be avoided?
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Dear reader,
Modeling plays a key role in measuring and calculating the occurrence of microplastic in the environment and in waterways. It also plays an important role in the mammoth BMBF (Federal German Ministry for Education and Research) research program entitled "Plastics in the Environment", which comprises 20 joint projects and will provisionally continue until 2021. With its model "From Land to Sea", the BKV is also participating in one of the joint projects. A new, so-called "synthesis paper" gives an up-to-date overview of all the modeling tasks that play a role in the research program. With this synthesis paper, an attempt is being made to bring together the different areas covered by the models, and thus to identify the deficits that still exist in terms of the data and model development that are relevant for a better system understanding. At the same time, this synthesis from the various approaches aims to show what contribution modeling could make to further area-related microplastic research – provided it is continued. Yet it seems, according to the present situation as described in the paper, that there is still a long way to go before both the data situation and the modeling itself are improved. There are many good approaches being developed, but as yet they do not allow an overall picture to be drawn up. So, there is still a lot to be done. We intend to keep at it!
Our newsletter will once again give you an insight into what is happening in this matter and what else is going on in research, economics and politics on the topic of marine litter. We will, of course, continue to keep you informed in the new year, which hopefully will return to a normality that at least bears a resemblance to the time before the pandemic.
We wish you in particular the necessary strength to get through these challenging times and, above all, that you remain safe and well. And, despite all the restrictions, we wish you a happy Christmas and a good start to the New Year!.
Kind regards,
BKV GmbH
FCIO Austrian Chemical Industry Association
PlasticsEurope Deutschland e.V.
VDMA Plastics and Rubber Machinery
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Hydroelectric power plants make a significant contribution to the removal of plastic waste from inland waters. This is emphasized by the Vereinigung Wasserkraftwerke in Bayern e.V. (VWB, the association of hydroelectric power plants in Bavaria) and the Landesverband Bayerische Wasserkraftwerke in a joint press release, which refers to the results of an analysis of hydroelectric power plants that was carried out as part of the joint project "MicBin – Microplastics in Inland Waters", about which we reported in the last edition of our newsletter.
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From research and science
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The research program "Plastics in the Environment – Sources, Sinks, Solutions" of the Federal German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) consists of 20 joint projects over the period from 2017 to 2022. Models for calculating discharge volumes play an important role in this program. A recently published cross-project synthesis paper provides an overview of the various models, brings together its full area of coverage and shows clearly where gaps still exist – in other words where there is still a lack of model structure and above all a lack of data with which the models can be fed.
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According to calculations from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an estimated 230,000 tons of plastic litter get into the Mediterranean Sea every year from the 33 countries bordering the Mediterranean alone, predominantly via rivers. The main cause is apparently incorrectly or carelessly disposed-of plastic waste. The authors are calling for an improved waste management system as an urgent countermeasure. Some 50,000 tons of discharges could be avoided every year if only the 100 cities with the largest amount of waste were to adopt a waste management system that functions in line with best-practice standards, says the report.
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A further study as part of the MicBin joint project in the research program "Plastic in the Environment" provides clues as to how misinterpretations in microplastic analysis can arise and how they should be dealt with. According to a freely accessible abstract, the study furnishes proof that disposable laboratory gloves can be a source of false positive microplastic detection. The authors give recommendations as to how to reduce the risk of sample contamination or misinterpretation during sampling, sample preparation and analysis.
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As reported elsewhere in this newsletter, further progress has been made in the commitment to combat granule losses. This at least is shown by the progress report relating to the OCS program of PlasticsEurope, the pan-European association of plastics producers. But what about the cooperation within the value chain and within Europe? We asked three experts, namely
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- Susanne Gfatter, FCIO Austrian Chemical Industry Association
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- Gesa Junghanns, Covestro Deutschland AG
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- Torben Knöß, Germany's Plastics Packaging Industry Association (IK)
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From politics and industry
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In October, the new progress report on Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) was published. This is a program from plastics producers in Europe aimed at avoiding granule losses (pellets, flakes and powders). The program is targeted at all players involved in the supply chain, from production through storage and transport to compounding and further processing. In the meantime, according to figures from PlasticsEurope, more than 700 companies are participating.
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In September, the member states of the European Union agreed on a threshold value for marine litter on coasts. The figure that had been initially developed by the Commission is now valid and is below 20 pieces of waste per 100 meters of coastline. According to the Commission, a fixed, tangible target now exists for all Europe's beaches, and that in turn represents a commitment to keep them clean.
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In the lead article of Plastics News in October, Stewart Harris from the Chemistry Council in Washington reflects on the cooperation of industry on the subject of marine litter over the past ten years. His list of initiatives and projects begins with the declaration by the Global Plastics Association for Solutions on Marine Littering and shows in an exemplary fashion, the breadth of the activities. At the end, he looks optimistically into the future and advocates greater cooperation between industry, governments and NGOs.
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By selling sunglasses with frames made of recycled plastic retrieved from the sea, the people responsible for "The Ocean Cleanup" project headed by Dutchman Boyan Slat want to do something different to raise money for the project after the it experienced a few teething problems last year.
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This international conference took place from 23 to 27 November – not, as planned, on the island of Lanzarote but online. In fact, more than 1,000 people took part in the predominantly virtual conference MICRO 2020. It was the third edition of the "International conference on plastic pollution from MACRO to nano", which is planned to take place every two years.
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BKV GmbH
Mainzer Landstraße 55
60329 Frankfurt am Main
GERMANY
Phone: +49(0)69 2556 1921
Fax: +49(0)69 2556 1593
www.bkv-gmbh.de
info(at)bkv-gmbh.de
Data Privacy Policy | Managing director: Rainer Mantel
Chairman of the board: Matthias Stechhan (LyondellBasell)
Registration-Id.: 37068
District court: Frankfurt am Main
VAT-IdNo.: DE161749355
Responsible: Rainer Mantel
Editor: Uli Martin
Contact: uli.martin(at)bkv-gmbh.de |
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