The Ocean Cleanup’s Post

Marine microbes eating plastic A valid solution to help clear plastic from our oceans? In the war against the plastic plague devastating our oceans every little helps. However is reducing our usage of plastics by systematically replacing plastics by more sustainable materials and rethinking how we consume still not the key to solve the problem? #sustainability #sustainablematerial #sustainablepackaging #theoceancleanup

Simply put, we are living in a plastic world. Microplastics now are significant pollutants in a variety of environments. In our latest study lead by Marta Barone, together with Inta Dimante-Deimantovica and colleagues, we studied possibilities of monitoring microplastics in a freshwater environment. Combination of surface water filtering and sediment traps are suggested in further microplastics monitoring. https://lnkd.in/dhhufB7Q

🦠 𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜! 🌊 Researchers from the NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research have discovered fungi that decompose polyethylene after UV exposure. Dive into their findings published in the Science of the Total Environment journal. More plastic-degrading fungi may reside in the ocean depths! Read the article here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/esg3qtJD 𝙍𝙖𝙣𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨. #OceanScience #PlasticPollution #EnvironmentalResearch

https://lnkd.in/d-HaJJCs Do you know that plants can filter not only organic pollutants and particulate matter but also MICROPLASTICS from air? Have a look at our last publication!

Hello, Connections ✒️..I'm excited to share some interesting findings from the paper titled "Development of a Digestion Method for Determining Microplastic Pollution in Vegetal-Rich Clayey Mangrove Sediments". DOI: https://lnkd.in/gauNY2Vc This study explores several advancements in detecting microplastic contamination in complex sediment samples: 👉Optimized Digestion Techniques: The paper introduces methods (D1-D4) that efficiently digest various organic matter while preserving microplastics, achieving near 100% recovery for particles between 0.3 mm and 1 mm. 👉Efficient Density Separation: Zinc chloride (1.6 g/ml) was identified as the most effective density separation agent for extracting microplastics from common vegetative debris in mangrove sediments. 👉Advanced Analytical Methodologies: The study combines visual sorting under a stereo microscope with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to accurately identify and quantify microplastics. 👉 Tailored Methods for Sediment Types: The paper highlights customized procedures to account for different sediment types, enhancing detection accuracy based on environmental conditions. Focus on Smaller Microplastics: Significant improvements in recovery rates for microplastics below 1 mm were achieved, which is crucial for assessing contamination levels. Such developments provide constructive ideas towards improving the strategies for monitoring and mitigating the environment. I welcome you to dive into details and contribute your thoughts on how these strategies may work to advance research and practice. Let's get in touch and advance our comprehension together🔔 #Microplastics #Environmental-Science #Research #SedimentAnalysis #PollutionMitigation #ScientificInnovation

🏅 TOP 10 PUBLICATIONS OF UPD COLLEGE OF SCIENCE IN 2023 # 4: Identifying First Bacteria Colonizers on Plastics Many types of bacteria live on plastics left in the environment. But for diverse colonies to thrive, a group of bacteria, called primo-colonizers, must first prime the plastics to make them habitable for other types of bacteria. Justine Marey Bitalac, Norchel Corcia Gomez, and Dr. Deo Florence Onda of the Marine Science Institute, together with Dr. Nacita Lantican of UP Los Baños, identified these primo-colonizers and described how they change the structure of plastics. Their study helps elucidate how plastics degrade in the environment and opens possibilities on how to solve the growing plastic pollution problem. Read the paper here: https://lnkd.in/giHm4cTj

Biodegradation of Polyethylene (PE) in the Ocean Plastic pollution in the marine environment is a significant environmental issue. Researchers isolated the fungus Parengyodontium album from floating plastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and measured its ability to degrade PE. Using stable isotope probing assays with 13C-PE over a 9-day incubation period, they found that UV pre-treatment of PE increased the biodegradation rate to 0.044% per day. Their findings suggest that P. album has the potential to degrade PE and mineralize it to CO2 in the marine environment, but initial photodegradation of PE is essential for P. album to effectively metabolize the PE-derived carbon. #biodegradation #polyethylene #plasticpollution

𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 Researchers, including those from NIOZ, have discovered that a marine fungus can decompose the plastic polyethylene after it has been exposed to UV radiation from sunlight. Their findings, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, suggest that numerous other fungi capable of degrading plastic likely reside in the deeper regions of the ocean. Continue Reading Here: https://shorturl.at/lQtMi #Science #Plastic #Pollution #MIDSCI 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦: 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘬𝘢 𝘝𝘢𝘬𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘢/𝘕𝘐𝘖𝘡

𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 Researchers, including those from NIOZ, have discovered that a marine fungus can decompose the plastic polyethylene after it has been exposed to UV radiation from sunlight. Their findings, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, suggest that numerous other fungi capable of degrading plastic likely reside in the deeper regions of the ocean. Continue Reading Here: https://shorturl.at/lQtMi #Science #Plastic #Pollution #MIDSCI 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦: 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘬𝘢 𝘝𝘢𝘬𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘢/𝘕𝘐𝘖𝘡

Don't miss out on ALEC's Microplastics Research Projects - The Hidden Hazards webinar on 1 Feb 2024! Join us as experts from The University of Melbourne, Jaye Marchiandi, and Subharthe Samandra, uncover the widespread presence of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) in packaging materials and disclose the fate and transport of microplastics in Australia. From glass to metal, learn about EDCs' prevalence in various materials and understand the environmental impact of microplastics in groundwater and surface water. Register to gain valuable insights into these hidden hazards and contribute to a sustainable future. #Microplastics #ResearchWebinar #Sustainability #HiddenHazards 🌱 Register here: https://lnkd.in/gpapjtS3