Description du projet
Étudier l’utilisation et la pollution des matières plastiques dans les systèmes de sols agricoles
Le plastique est un matériau primordial pour notre économie et notre vie quotidienne. Malheureusement, on l’associe à des niveaux élevés de déchets et de fuite dans l’environnement. Par exemple, on retrouve des déchets plastiques et plus spécifiquement des microplastiques (particules de taille inférieure à 5 mm) dans les sols agricoles, des sacs d’ensilage et des bâches employées pour recouvrir les serres, jusqu’aux boues d’épuration et au compost. Le projet SOPLAS, financé par l’UE, mettra sur pied une équipe pluridisciplinaire pour étudier le lien entre le plastique, l’agriculture et les sols. Il formera également une nouvelle génération d’experts à l’avant-garde de ces questions. Le projet entend identifier le cycle du plastique au sein des systèmes de sols agricoles et soutenir le développement de politiques environnementales destinées à atténuer l’impact des matières plastiques. Les résultats feront progresser nos connaissances concernant l’utilisation durable des matières plastiques dans l’agriculture européenne.
Objectif
Plastics have become a key component of modern agriculture, both directly, through their use in production systems, such as greenhouse cover films and silage bags, and indirectly, such as through the application of sewage sludge or compost. However, we know almost nothing about the fate of this plastic and its impact on soil functions. The SOPLAS ETN will address this critical knowledge gap, while delivering significant advances in understanding the plastic cycle within soil and supporting the development of environmental policies, agricultural practices and industrial opportunities related to mitigating the impact of plastics on the environment. More specifically, SOPLAS will: (i) adapt and optimise existing tools to detect and quantify macro- and microplastic input into agricultural soils; (ii) improve understanding of the degradation mechanisms of conventional and biodegradable plastic, as basis of optimizing used plastic materials and identifying remediation pathways; (iii) determine the impact of microplastic on soil functions and soil health; (iv) identify pathways for microplastic export from agricultural soils to freshwater ecosystems; and (v) analysis farmers’ and consumers’ willingness to reduce the input of plastic material into agricultural soils. To address these project aims and train a new generation of leading experts understanding the nexus of plastic-agriculture-soil, SOPLAS will bring together a truly multidisciplinary team of academic and industry experts, comprising economists, agronomists, hydrologists, soil scientists, microbiologists and chemists, using the most advanced state-of-the-art approaches in their respective fields. The training network will facilitate a dialogue between researchers, industry and practitioners with as ultimate goal to advance the sustainable use of plastics in European agriculture.
Champ scientifique
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsfreshwater ecosystems
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencessoil sciencesedaphology
- engineering and technologyenvironmental biotechnologybioremediationcompost
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollution
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagricultureindustrial cropsfodder
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Programme(s)
Régime de financement
MSCA-ITN - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN)Coordinateur
86159 Augsburg
Allemagne