Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LABPLAS (Land-Based Solutions for Plastics in the Sea) Période du rapport: 2021-06-01 au 2022-11-30 Résumé du contexte et des objectifs généraux du projet The LABPLAS project is a comprehensive collective effort of 20 groups from 17 organisations forming a strong consortium, encompassing expertise in pollution, environmental modelling, environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, oceanography, hydrology, paleoecology, soil ecology, microbiology, water engineering, nanotechnology, economics and knowledge transfer with the ambitious and overarching objective of understanding the sources, transport, distribution and impacts of plastic pollution in all environmental compartments (i.e. freshwater, marine, terrestrial, atmosphere and aquatic biota) by applying technological advances (sampling, analysis, quantification), promoting truly biodegradable novel materials where appropriate, developing innovative and up-scalable models for assessing the fate, effects and risks of plastics, and presenting results for decision making for a scientifically sound Plastic Governance. Special emphasis, but not limited to, is placed on the small micro and nanoplastics (SMNP) (≤ 100 µm). Based on the following two assumptions: - Most plastic pollution can be traced back to land-based sources of plastic waste; and- The environmental impact of plastic particles is driven by their size, shape and composition (i.e. polymer properties, particle size, shape and chemical additives determine the environmental fate and ecotoxicological effects)the main objectives of the LABPLAS project are:1. To understand the main land-based sources, transport routes, distribution and fate of plastics in different environmental compartments.2. To test the hypothesis of increasing plastic levels in marine sediments/compartments with time.3. To evaluate the impact of microplastics and nanoplastics (MNP) from urban/road run-off on receiving waters by field and simulation studies in a pilot rainfall simulator in urban drainage.4. To develop, tailor, implement and pre-validate analytical technologies for the efficient detection, quantification and chemical characterisation of SMNPs in environmental samples: biotic and abiotic.5. To study, under environmentally relevant conditions, the weathering, behaviour, degradation, release of chemicals, and toxicology of bioplastics.6. To demonstrate the effectiveness of remote sensing for macroplastic detection.7. To assess the impacts of plastics on key species and ecosystems.8. To assess the terrestrial and aquatic environmental risk of ingestible plastic particles (from 100 to 0.1 µm) as a function of particle size and chemical composition.9. To provide solid scientific grounds for current European policies intended to regulate the use and management of plastics, within the frame of the Plastic Strategy and Directive EU/2019/904, and ECHA’s initiatives on plastic additives and restriction of SMNP.10. To promote on solid scientific grounds public education on the environmental threat posed by plastics in the environment, avoiding false myths such as plastic islands, plastic-stuffed birds or association of human plastic exposure with marine food.Thus, the project targets the identification of SMNP sources and their environmental pathways in two contrasting case studies: CASE STUDY SITE 1. The urban-industrial Thames and Elbe river basins that feed into the North Sea and,CASE STUDY SITE 2. The Atlantic Mero-Barcés river basin in the NW Iberian Peninsula, mainly rural but impacted by highway traffic. Travail effectué depuis le début du projet jusqu’à la fin de la période considérée dans le rapport et principaux résultats atteints jusqu’à présent During the first 18 months of the project (from 01/06/2021 to 30/11/2022) the following work has been performed:- Sampling and sample preparation methods for sampling microplastics in different matrices have been harmonised with emphasis on the smaller size fractions for which information is limited and which are relevant to human and ecological exposure risks. Water, sediment and biotasamples for nano, micro and larger plastic detection were retrieved from six sites in each river basin.- To test the hypothesis of increasing plastic amounts in marine sediments with time, two cores from the Baltic Sea were sampled. The age model of each core is being analysed to feed discussions on the onset of the Anthropocene epoch, still to be formalized in the geological time scale. - Different analytical methods have been considered and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been proposed for the extraction, purification, chemical identification and quantification of SMNPs in water, sediment and biota samples. - Procedures based on oxidative, alkaline, enzymatic digestion, and/or density separation have been proposed for sample extraction and purification according to the type of sample.- Determination, identification, and quantification of MPs are carried out by conventional and advanced particle-based techniques such as IR and Micro-IR Imaging, Raman spectroscopy and near-infrared hyperspectral imaging, and mass-based techniques such as Py-GC-MS.- Passive samplers based on atmospheric bulk deposition (dry + wet) have been tested and preliminary results have been obtained.- Preliminary procedures to identify and quantify SBR/SBS rubber from tyre wear particles by Py-GC-MS and FTIR techniques (ATR-FTIR, micro-FTIR and micro-FTIR imaging Quantum Cascade Laser-IR) are being tested.- Analysis and quantification of plastic:zooplankton ratios as Good Environmental Status (GES) has started. Manta net (330µm) sampling is carried out to collect microplastics and zooplankton at the water surface which are then manually separated using a dissecting stereomicroscope, digitally imaged with a ZooSCAN digital scanner and virtual separation takes place with Zooprocess and Plankton Identifier software.- Experimental protocols to assess the weathering, behaviour and degradation of compostable polymers in their unintended end-of-life under laboratory conditions and the natural environment are being validated.- The LABPLAS Plastic Toxicity Testing Scheme (LPTTS) was developed. It covers a selection of standard reproducible toxicity tests using ecologically relevant endpoints and species representative of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats and employing a tiered approach where two routes of exposure are considered: (1) waterborne chemicals leached from the plastics and (2) plastic particles in contact and/or ingested by the organisms.- The effectiveness of remote sensing for macroplastic detection is being assessed. Methodologies for the acquisition and processing of Sentinel-2 satellite imagery have been implemented. The use of a machine-learning classification model to classify a given pixel of a satellite image into the likelihood of having an accumulation of floating marine plastic litter is being tested. Progrès au-delà de l’état des connaissances et impact potentiel prévu (y compris l’impact socio-économique et les conséquences sociétales plus larges du projet jusqu’à présent) This environmental and laboratory data, currently in a TRL 2 (technology concept formulated – e.g. SMP toxicity tests) and TRL 3 (experimental proof of concept- e.g. nanocharacterisation techniques), will feed a suite of interacting environmental models, to identify or predict sources, transport among environmental compartments, and potential transfer of chemicals to biota with the aim to up-scale it to produce a pan-European plastic information system (TRL 6) to provide European authorities with the foundation needed to develop appropriate interventions and policies within the framework of the EU Plastic Strategy and Directive EU/2019/904 to fight plastic pollution on solid scientific grounds, rather than by misperceptions and false myths about plastic properties. LABPLAS Logo Processing samples collected with manta net Map of sampling sites for the Mero-Barcés river Study area sites in the North Sea with Elbe and Thames rivers Kick off Meeting in May 2021 General Assembly Meeting at Leuven in May 2022 Map of sampling sites in the River Elbe Pump filter sampling equipment for the Thames river Wet sieving of sediments Invertebrate sampling using Day grab Small sampling vessel used at low water level at the Elbe river Map of sampling sites for the Thames river Multi corer for sampling in the Baltic and North Sea Air Centre dissemination and communication activities Deploying Day grab aboard the Thames Guardian, July 2022
