26. January 2023
The EU directive on urban wastewater (Council Directive 91/271/EEC) is decisive for the control and prevention of pollution. Although it has led to improvements in water quality across Europe since its introduction in 1991, a lot of pollution is still not restricted or regulated, e.g. Micropollutants and microplastics. Therefore, at the end of 2022, the EU published a proposal for a revised directive on the treatment of urban wastewater. More about this in the blog.
22. December 2022
One of the main sources of direct microplastic entry into the environment is through the wearing and washing of synthetic textiles. The European Commission has identified the textile value chain as a key priority in the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and proposed key actions and measures that are set to be finalized by the end of this year. This blog will provide an overview of issues related to the synthetic textiles, the proposed pathways to target unintentional microplastic release, along with the associated challenges that must be addressed.
29. November 2022
Microplastics are a pervasive environmental pollutant affecting wildlife, ecosystem, and human health. Microplastics can be consumed at all trophic levels and transmitted along the food chain, resulting in numerous long-term detrimental impacts on wildlife and ecosystems across the world. We have gone through recent, state of the art research that has been done on microplastic impacts on wildlife in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, and summarize some of the main points in this blog.
10. November 2022
Microplastics have been detected in human blood, lungs, and the placenta of unborn babies. Widespread exposure of humans to microplastics is undeniable. Understanding the impacts of microplastics (< 5 mm) and nano-plastics (< 1 µm) on environmental and human health and the identification of critical thresholds and characterization of hazards, are thus important steps towards effective microplastic management. This article looks at where our knowledge of microplastic impacts on human health currently stands, and the challenges faced.
28. October 2022
Progress has been made in many countries to restrict the use of microplastics. However, there is still no single comprehensive European law that restricts the intentional use of microplastics in products or regulates the unintentional release due to microplastics in wastewater and subsequent discharge into the environment. But effective legislation on microplastics is critical to reducing environmental impact. What is the current status?
17. October 2022
Plastic production continues to increase and microplastics have been detected nearly everywhere on earth – from arctic snow to human blood – yet there is still no single comprehensive law that regulates microplastic input into the environment.
The development of regulations is a slow and ongoing process; this article provides information on the current laws surrounding plastics and microplastics, alongside the associated challenges and chances.
24. August 2022
Together with our cooperation partners, we provide insights into our innovations for the detection and removal of microplastics and micropollutants. Save your place now.
12. July 2022
Cooling down, clearing heads, sorting thoughts.
With a breath of fresh air and a ton of new ideas, updates and comments, our blog will be back in September.
30. June 2022
In this blog post we have the honour to present the partner in mission without whom Wasser 3.0 would not be Wasser 3.0.
abcr GmbH has been by our side since our first attempts at water treatment with hybrid silica gels. In many projects we have been able to combine our know-how, our drive and our visions and open up completely new paths.
