Envirotec Magazine

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Nano- and microplastics are seemingly everywhere — water, soil and the air. While many creative strategies have been attempted to get rid of these plastic bits, one unexpectedly effective solution for cleaning up drinking water, specifically, might be as simple as brewing a cup of tea or coffee. Image credit: Eddy Zeng.

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Envirotec Magazine

MAY 30, 2024

Understanding why climate change might contribute to increasing plastic pollution is the focus of a new research project starting this month at the University of Portsmouth. Until now, studies have concentrated solely on microplastics shedding from brand-new plastics.

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Envirotec Magazine

MARCH 28, 2024

A research group in Japan has demonstrated that airborne microplastics adsorb to the epicuticular wax on the surface of forest canopy leaves, and that forests may act as terrestrial sinks for airborne microplastics The study used a new technique to measure the levels of microplastics adhering to the leaves.

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Grist

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

scientists sounded the alarm on a then-underappreciated problem: the breakdown of plastic litter into small, even microscopic, fragments. While many previous reports had documented the buildup of plastic bottles and bags in the natural environment, much less attention had been paid to what the scientists dubbed “microplastics.”

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Envirotec Magazine

JULY 11, 2024

The microplastic pollution that turns up in landfill leachate has received much less attention than the stuff appearing in wastewater, and there seem to be far fewer studies exploring it. According to the OECD, in 2019, 50% of the world’s plastic waste was landfilled, 19% was incinerated, 9% was recycled and 22% was mismanaged.

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Envirotec Magazine

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

Microplastics from textiles may inhibit the lung’s ability to repair damage caused by conditions such as COVID-19, according to research findings released on 24 February. With humans exposed to microplastic fibres on a daily basis, scientists also warned of the potential health risks for those with developing lungs, such as children.

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Envirotec Magazine

AUGUST 17, 2022

The UK’s next prime minister should ban manufacturers from intentionally adding microplastics to consumer or professional use products, according to a new environmental campaign from the drainage experts at Lanes Group plc. Microplastic particles measure less than 5mm and are incorporated into a wide variety of consumer products.

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Envirotec Magazine

MAY 12, 2021

Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University have developed a seemingly new technique to trap and recover microplastics. The method uses bacterial biofilms, a sticky substance created by micro-organisms, to trap microplastic particles. In bioreactors, this makes the microplastics more convenient to collect, according to Liu.

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Envirotec Magazine

OCTOBER 5, 2022

Bristol based microplastic technology company Matter is launching Gulp, “the first sustainable, long-lasting washing machine microfibre filter” on Kickstarter from 11 October. and recycling of microplastics, and says it is focused on “cradle-to-cradle solutions”, with a mission to stop microplastic pollution at source.

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Envirotec Magazine

OCTOBER 25, 2022

Microplastics have become so widespread that they have been discovered in fresh Antarctic snow. Something as seemingly innocent as Halloween decorations or gum can be a source, says Sulacpac, a producer of bio-based alternatives for conventional plastics. However, typical plastic waste isn’t the only source of microplastics.

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Envirotec Magazine

APRIL 14, 2023

By Ria Devereux , PhD Student, Microplastic Pollution, University of East London, writing in The Conversation. However, our research found discarded face coverings and other personal protective equipment (PPE) are likely to be the cause of a rise in microplastics entering the environment. That works out to an average of 17.6

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Envirotec Magazine

JUNE 8, 2023

Dr Rosa Busquets is Associate Professor in Analytical Chemistry and Forensics at Kingston University What are microplastics, why are they such a problem and what can be done to reduce the pollution they cause? From studies involving organisms, we know that microplastics can cause inflammation, which is a common step in many diseases.

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Envirotec Magazine

MARCH 6, 2023

The last decade has seen some progress with studying plastic pollution, but there are still significant challenges, such as a lack of comparability of reported results, especially when it comes to microplastic particles. River landscape in Pantanal, Brazil. We measure particle size in all samples.

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Envirotec Magazine

AUGUST 3, 2023

Surface cracks and biofilms on plastic particles might help spread pollution Concerns about microplastic pollution arise not only because of the particles themselves, but also from whatever cargo they might be carrying. Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (image credit: takepicsforfun / Shutterstock.com).

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Grist

MAY 23, 2024

No human organ is safe from microplastic contamination, it seems — not even the testicles. Researchers at the University of Mexico recently tested 70 samples of testicular tissue — 47 from dogs and 23 from humans — and found microplastics in every single one. So how do the microplastics get into people’s bodies?

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Inhabitat - Innovation

MAY 6, 2020

Everybody knows that microplastics pose a huge threat to our oceans. A new study shows that this plastic problem has reached a record high.

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Envirotec Magazine

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

A new study sheds light on the quantity and type of microplastics present in clouds. The researchers analyzed cloud water samples from high-altitude mountains in Japan to ascertain the amount of microplastics in them. Microplastics in the free troposphere are transported and contribute to global pollution,” said Okochi.

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Envirotec Magazine

AUGUST 24, 2021

Geoscience technology firm CGG has conducted a microplastics pollution survey as part of a scoping study into whether it would be possible to create a “Plastic Free zone” on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). This workflow can be used to calculate the volume, size and shape of plastic particles within a sample.

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Envirotec Magazine

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

Independently verified research by Swedish water technology firm Bluewater has apparently verified the efficiency of its water purifier technology at removing up to 99.99% of health threatening microplastics and chemicals such as toxic PFAS from tap water.

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Envirotec Magazine

JUNE 5, 2023

The research seemed to highlight strong links between the degree of urbanisation in the river catchment and observed river microplastic concentrations. Published in Water Research , the research highlights the impact of water management in terms of river diversions for irrigation purposes on microplastic transport.

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Envirotec Magazine

JUNE 10, 2022

Methods for the analysis of microplastic particles in a sample (of water) are beset by challenges such as high error rates and a high time requirement. The chemical characterization of the microplastic particles is based on their absorption of infrared light. Near-surface analysis.

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Envirotec Magazine

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Environmental scientists at The James Hutton Institute have launched the first nation-wide drug and microplastics test on Scotland’s rivers to help shed light on the increasing mix of pharmaceuticals, chemicals and plastics entering our waters. The River Dee (image credit: The James Hutton Institute).

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Envirotec Magazine

NOVEMBER 11, 2020

A research project investigating the problem of microplastics in inland waters has been using a tube pump from Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG), in a system where samples are taken automatically at programmed intervals. The procedure must also exclude the potential for samples to become contaminated by other plastic particles.

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Envirotec Magazine

JULY 4, 2022

Microplastics are a pathway for pathogens on land to reach the ocean, with likely consequences for human and wildlife health, according to a study from the University of California , Davis. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, is the first to connect microplastics in the ocean with land-based pathogens.

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GreenBiz

MARCH 21, 2023

Recent studies reveal that tiny pieces of plastic are constantly lofted into the atmosphere. These particles can travel thousands of miles and affect the formation of clouds, which means they have the potential to impact temperature, rainfall, and even climate change.

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Envirotec Magazine

JULY 9, 2021

Scientists at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) have launched a series of in-situ trials of what they describe as a unique microplastic clean-up method using mussels as filtration systems. Microplastics are the tiny plastic fibres and particles prevalent in our seas.

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Envirotec Magazine

JANUARY 12, 2022

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET, used in bottles and food containers, was one of the most common sources of microplastic identified in the study (image caption: Kevin Doncaster , CC BY 2.0 A potential link between microplastics and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been flagged up by a scientific study released in late December.

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Envirotec Magazine

OCTOBER 4, 2024

University of Edinburgh start-up firm EVA Biosystems has developed a plastic that is described as being able to sense when it’s in the ocean and break itself down without creating microplastics. EVA Biosystems’ innovation involves adding special bacteria to conventional plastics.

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Inhabitat - Innovation

OCTOBER 21, 2020

million microplastics daily. Babies around the world are consuming over 1.5

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Envirotec Magazine

JUNE 13, 2022

Plastic pollution in the ocean may serve as a source for novel antibiotics, according to a new student-led study conducted in collaboration with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The researchers incubated high and low density polyethylene plastic (the type commonly seen in grocery bags) in water near Scripps Pier in La Jolla, Calif.

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Inhabitat - Innovation

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

The next time you are craving tea, choose the paper teabag or loose-leaf tea in a reusable infuser — just steer clear of the plastic teabag.

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Envirotec Magazine

APRIL 23, 2020

A scanning electron microscope shows how the microplastic particles are attached to the nanocellulose structure. The diameter of the plastic particles is 100 nanometers. million particles of microplastics. The method provides a way to catch microplastic particles of a size that the human eye cannot detect.

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Grist

OCTOBER 17, 2022

When you think of plastic pollution, you might imagine ocean “ garbage patches ” swirling with tens of millions of plastic bottles and shopping bags. But unfolding alongside the “macroplastic” pollution crisis is another threat caused by much smaller particles: microplastics. So where do microplastics come in?

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Envirotec Magazine

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

The world is producing twice as much plastic waste as two decades ago, with the bulk of it ending up in landfill, incinerated or leaking into the environment, and only 9% successfully recycled, according to a new OECD report. Almost half of all plastic waste is generated in OECD countries, according to the Outlook.

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Green Living Guy

JUNE 7, 2022

Microplastics are a pathway for pathogens on land to reach the ocean. The study, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, is the first to connect microplastics in the ocean with land-based pathogens. It can lead to consequences for human and wildlife health, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.

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Business Green

APRIL 7, 2022

Consumer goods giants continue to face growing scrutiny over their reliance on plastics in their packaging, with fresh research published yesterday having found microplastics in products manufactured by almost 90 per cent of the top-selling cosmetics brands. What we do know is that these products, used day-in day-out, contain plastic.

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Envirotec Magazine

OCTOBER 4, 2024

Microplastics which have been used in leave-on cosmetic and personal care products are being overlooked by research and regulators, according to a new critical review conducted by scientists at the University of Birmingham. The research found that, of 2,381 products studied, only two were leave-on products.

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