Innovative approaches towards prevention, removal and reuse of marine plastic litter

Project Information

In-No-Plastic

Grant agreement ID: 101000612

DOI

10.3030/101000612

Project closed

EC signature date 21 September 2020

Start date 1 October 2020

End date 31 March 2024

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Total cost

€ 7 430 637,70

EU contribution

€ 5 997 296,00

Coordinated by

SINTEF AS
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - In-No-Plastic (Innovative approaches towards prevention, removal and reuse of marine plastic litter)

Reporting period: 2022-04-01 to 2024-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Society is confronted with plastic pollution. In the EU, 150.000 to 500.000 tons of plastic waste enter the oceans every year with 75.000 and 300.000 tons of nano- and micro-plastics released into the environment. This impacts the marine environment and marine species. Plastic pollution threatens food safety and quality, human health, and coastal tourism, and contributes to climate change. The EU Circular Economy Strategy aims to eliminate plastic litter by upscaling circular models, implementing policies, and conducting clean-up activities. By the end of 2025, half of plastic packaging waste must be recycled.

There are only a few macro-plastic removal solutions for the marine environment and none focusing on nano- and micro-plastics. The goal of InNoPlastic’s was to develop and demonstrate nano-, micro-, and macro-plastic clean-up technologies in aquatic ecosystems. The approach taken was a combination of social and technical removal strategies targeting industrial hotspots through cooling water systems, harbors, lagoons, shores, and shallow seawater. The strategy used in developing multiple removal technologies was to first analyze and test the solutions in lab scale and then demonstrate the solutions at several testing sites in Europe and in the Caribbean.

The social strategy comprises an incentive-based initiative that relies on a software application. The focus is to get the local population involved by incentivizing plastic pick-up in return for monetary gain or other rewards. The approach also entailed a comprehensive monitoring system to gather collection data at 6-month frequencies over a 2-year period. This was done to understand the effectiveness of the solutions both in terms of cutting down plastic presence in the environment and its effects on the marine and local ecosystem. The plastic collected at the demo sites was treated for reusability by investigating different recycling approaches. This allowed us to close the loop and achieve circularity.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Ports, river discharges and industrial areas are especially contaminated with plastic particles and the majority of the plastics remain near the shore. One of the most effective ways to remove and mitigate plastics from entering the marine environment is by targeting these specific areas. InNoPlastic developed and tested clean-up technologies at several industrial hotspots and also some natural hotspots, e.g. the river Thames in England. Technologies developed worked together in a "Joint Solution", consisting of:
-An Archimedean Drum Screen that collects and filters water
-A membrane unit that concentrates the micro and nano plastics in wastewater samples
-Ultrasound technology allowing agglomeration and clustering of nano- and microparticles in the wastewater
-New environmentally friendly, biodegradable flocculant formulation to increase the size of plastic flocs or aggregates above the threshold required for removal via sieve technology

Methods for sampling and characterization of nano- and micro-plastics in aquatic environments were developed and validated, and applied on all water samples collected in the project.

In addition to the above technologies developed for the removal of nano and micro plastics, an automatic clean-up robot (SEEKer) was developed and tested for removal of macro plastic debris at beaches and similar locations.

InNoPlastic organized nearly 150 clean-up events at different sites in Europe and on the Island of Sint Maarten, with all together several thousand volunteers involved. At project start, clean-up procedures were developed and agreements were made with respect to monitoring, procedures and methodologies to use. As part of the clean-up methodology two software apps were developed: (i) the Empower Waste Tracking System for tracking the process at all stages from initial clean-up operation to a final product, giving each product a traceable history and (ii) a Deposit webtool designed to get the local population involved in clean-up events by ensuring easy participation and seamless interaction with various incentive schemes.

In order to close the circular material flow, different recirculating routes were evaluated for the collected plastic materials. Diverse mechanical processing techniques was employed to manufacture a range of products using recycled marine plastic litter, such as plates for furniture construction, plastic bags, bins and sunglasses. Chemical routes focused on gasification and pyrolysis and the replacement of fossil fuels injected into a steel mill Blast Furnace. Life Cycle and Techno-Economical Assessments were performed for a selection of strategies and solutions developed within the project.

Through the whole project period the project had an active communication strategy on different platforms:
-A web page with close to 20.000 hits
-Active presence on Instagram, Linkedin and Facebook (views exceed 1 mill)
-Published 10 newsletters, more than 85 flash news bulletins and 10 journal and magazine articles
-Produced 6 videos

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project has pushed the State-of-the-Art in many aspects:
-Technologies for collecting/sampling and characterizing nano-, micro- and macro plastics in aquatic systems
-Demonstrating the use of collected marine litter in new products
-Development and testing of clean-up strategies at natural and industrial locations
-Development of apps for tracking material and stimulating clean-up events

The results and findings have had an impact on policy makers. As an example, the UK-wide ban on wet wipes containing plastics is a direct consequence of the findings in this project. Also, industries are signaling strong interest in the work done on cleaning of industrial cooling water systems.

The types, qualities, and volumes of plastics collected at various locations influence the choice of recycling solution. Additionally, transportation and processing costs, and regulatory limitations play a significant role in determining appropriate recycling methods. Based on its findings, InNoPlastic has proposed practical recycling strategies that consider technical, logistical, environmental, economic, social, and policy factors. Addressing the challenges posed by plastic pollution requires a collaborative effort involving policymakers, industry stakeholders, and the public. By implementing stringent regulations, promoting sustainable practices, and fostering a culture of environmental responsibility, stakeholders can work together to mitigate the impacts of plastic waste and move toward a more sustainable and circular economy. The project serves as one positive case for future environmental initiatives, illustrating the power of technology, community involvement, and public-private collaboration in creating sustainable solutions to environmental challenges.

Several activities will continue after the end of the project, such as:
-Maintaining the project web site for another two years
-Use of the deposit and tracking app for future monitoring and clean-up activities
-Databases will be maintained for own use, policy makers and general public
-FishFlow Innovations has already several quotations outgoing for the Archimedean Drum Screen technology in New Zealand and the Netherlands and interests in UK and Philippines
-Investigating the BlueEconomy further with relevant business stakeholders and local governments

Dutch Royal Family visiting InNoPlastic Science Fair “Nature Under Threat” at island of Sint Maarten

Water sampling analysis - some findings