LimnoPlast applied the transdisciplinary approach along the life cycle of plastics, tracking the technical and societal sources of the MP contamination in freshwater environments. For end-of-use plastics, we traced the sources of MP in freshwater systems in the Aarhus region, the Greater Paris area and in the Amsterdam area. LimnoPlast harmonised sampling and analysis methods. In addition, LimnoPlast assessed the impacts of MP on freshwater biota and public health. Specifically, LimnoPlast compared the toxicity of MP originating from commodity plastics and biodegradable polymers. Further, the utility of waste water treatment plants as a convenient and efficient point of stopping microplastics before they contaminate the environment was further studied in depth in the Paris catchment. With regard to solutions, novel biodegradable polymers were developed. In addition, an innovative method using electrostatic electric fields to capture Nanoplastics (NP) in industrial wastewater was developed. Covering the whole plastics lifecycle LimnoPlast captured current societal risk and benefit perceptions, mental models, and behavioural aspects regarding freshwater MP and explored the international and European legal framework applicable to plastic and microplastic pollution. This new understanding of the sources and impacts of microplastics will guide the development of innovative prevention, mitigation measures, and technological and social innovation.
LimnoPlast was extremely successful in transferring the outcomes to European decision makers, stakeholders and the public. The harmonised methods to analyse freshwater MP in water and sediments as well as to determine the degradability of plastics are publicly available and are already applied in several laboratories across Europe and beyond.
LimnoPlast generated comparative data on the sources of freshwater MP, the toxicity, and degradability of conventional and biodegradable polymers as well as removal technologies. This new knowledge was and is used to inform the policy framework and relevant stakeholders in publicly available reports, workshops and conferences, such as the UN water conference or the LimnoPlast final conference in Paris together with UNESCO.
The scientific results were presented in over 75 conference contributions. LimnoPlast organized its final conference together with UNESCO, which had a high political profile and attracted societal actors from Europe and beyond. The key-messages are publicly available, were transferred to the UN water conference and resulted in a high media coverage (>190 reports in the media). The LimnoPlast results are further scientifically exploited in several highly renowned scientific publications such as Nature Communications. Committed to the idea of Open Science, all articles are open access.
The innovative method for separating nanoplastics (NP) in industrial wastewater using electrostatic fields has already been patented.
LimnoPlast aimed to develop novel biodegradable polylimonene carbonate polymers, using orange peel waste and CO2. A variety of variants with different modifications have been developed, however, the degradation tests indicated that the biodegradability of the modified novel polymers was too slow for practical applications. Nevertheless, the results achieved in LimnoPlast may pave the way for future developments.
LimnoPlast provided four communication strategies against microplastics pollution (emotion evoking impact messages, instruction-based reflections, connecting sources to action, counter perceptions of distrust) as well as a recommendation on political and legal intervention options.
LimnoPlast explored the international and European legal framework applicable to plastic and microplastic pollution by adopting a life-cycle approach. As a result, gaps and opportunities for improvement were identified for each one of the numerous legal instruments relevant to the field of plastic production and consumption, plastic waste management and trade, and plastic pollution. The results were disseminated in publicly available reports, workshops and conferences, such as the UN water conference or the LimnoPlast final conference in Paris together with UNESCO.
