8. March 2024

WASoMI training platform launched

As an interdisciplinary team of experts on a mission for water without microplastics, it is our pleasure and concern to share our knowledge and make it accessible to the next generation in the simplest and most appealing way possible. The basis for FREIRÄUME is provided by the scientifically sound digital-real educational space WASoMI. Our chemists, environmental scientists and sustainability experts have contributed their knowledge to it. Thanks to the support of the Postcode Lottery participants, we were able to implement the FREIRÄUME project last year and take the wealth of knowledge about water without microplastics to the next level.
2. February 2024

Microplastics in industrial wastewater

Steigende gesetzliche Regulationen für Polymere, Kunststoffe und Mikroplastik, hohe Kosten für Wasser, Abfälle, Energie, Chemikalien und die Instandhaltung von Anlagen sowie komplexe Verschmutzungsszenarien - Unternehmen, die in ihren Prozessen viel Wasser, Polymere und weitere Chemikalien einsetzen, stehen vor der Herausforderung ihr Umwelt-, Abfall- und Ressourcenmanagements neu auszurichten. Mit dem Verfahren Wasser 3.0 PE-X® steht erstmals eine adaptive Komplettlösung für ein nachhaltiges und kosteneffizientes Sustainability Upgrade für die industrielle Wasserbehandlung zur Verfügung. Der Schwerpunkt des Verfahrens, das auf Green Chemistry, low-tech Anlagen und kreislaufwirtschaftliche Prozesse setzt, liegt in der Entfernung von Mikroplastik. Bei geringen Anschaffungs- und Betriebskosten verbessern sich dabei nicht nur die Wasserqualität, sondern auch Ressourcennutzung, Abfallaufkommen und Energieverbrauch.
8. January 2024

Microplastics in wastewater treatment plants

Microplastics and highly viscous oligomers (including soluble polymers) cannot yet be removed within the purification stages of a wastewater treatment plant. For this reason alone, sewage treatment plants are considered to be emitters of microplastics into the environment. Read more in our blog.
27. June 2023

Sports and Microplastics

The focus today is not on functional clothing, but on artificial turf pitches. A place where sport drama takes place and people gather to cheer, cry, fight devotedly and bare their hearts. Artificial turf fields are places of encounter, but unfortunately also a place and pathway for microplastics to enter the environment. The benefits of high robustness and low maintenance have led to a rapid increase in the number of pitches, but no one has considered the associated environmental impacts. However, possibilities exist to minimize the entries into the environment, possibly even to reduce them to zero, and are covered in today's blog.
3. May 2023

Washing Maschines as a Source of Microplastics?!

Washing synthetic textiles releases large amounts of microplastics into the environment every day worldwide. This is why France is introducing mandatory microplastic filters for new washing machines beginning in 2025. But just how effective are such filters? And is this the most effective approach moving forwards? This blog post covers how microplastics are formed during washing, which factors influence their formation, the reduction and prevention strategies which currently exist, and potential solutions.
5. April 2023

Microplastics and Tire Wear

Tire wear particles are communicated as one of the main sources of direct microplastic (Microplastics Type B) entry into the environment. But is this the truth? Fact is: Currently, no standardized analytical method for tire wear particles exists; only rough estimations can be made. The real extent is unknown. This blog discusses the issue of tire wear particles as a major microplastic source and the status quo regarding detection and regulations.
22. December 2022

Microplastics and Textiles – a state description

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

Impact of microplastics on wildlife

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 and human health

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.