Biology

Abstract

Plastic pollution has become a worldwide problem, as still only a very small amount of plastic is recycled, and thus a large amount of plastic waste ends up in landfills or in the natural environment. A particular problem that has emerged in the last decade is the fragmentation of plastic into microplastics. Numerous adverse effects of microplastics on the environment, including freshwater and terrestrial organisms, have been demonstrated. Substitution of conventional plastics with biodegradable plastics is generally considered a sustainable alternative to reduce the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment. However, various authorities and the scientific community have raised concerns about whether this is justified. The "MicroBIOplast" will provide new knowledge about the biodegradation of plastics in the natural environment, the production of microplastics during biodegradation, and a holistic understanding of the responses of organisms to exposure to microplastics at different levels of biological complexity. The core of the project will be the investigation of effects on organisms. A number of commonly used freshwater and terrestrial organisms representing different trophic positions (primary producers and consumers) and taxonomic positions (protozoa, invertebrates, plants) will be tested. Different endpoints will be studied covering different physiological processes in the organisms: microplastic ingestion, cell viability, swimming behaviour, body surface interaction/adhesion, immune response, development and metamorphosis, energy-related physiological changes, plant growth, development and biochemical response, and mortality. This knowledge will help us identify the harmful effects of microplastics and understand the importance of plastic biodegradation to microplastic toxicity. The results of this project will therefore have a major impact on research on the environmental safety of biodegradable microplastics and will be of great environmental and social importance.

The phases of the project and their realization 
 

Project will be run in 4 work packages. WP1 is designed as a platform for providing materials, microplastics, and data on their characteristics. Test materials and cryo-milled microplastics will be provided during the first year of the project. Microplastic characterisation will run during the second and the beginning of the third year. WP2 will focus on biodegradability testing of materials and will start after the material selection, the majority of activities being held in the second year to provide sufficient microplastics to test in WP3 and WP4. These two WP will be a core part of the project dealing with the effects of microplastics on test organisms. They will run throughout the project starting with preliminary exposures to define sub-lethal concentrations and followed by a detail analysis of different endpoints. Knowledge dissemination and communication (WP5) as well as project management (WP6) will be led by the project leader throughout the duration of the project. 

Project partners

• Institute of Chemistry
• Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute