{"id":25715,"date":"2022-09-27T11:52:17","date_gmt":"2022-09-27T10:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=25715"},"modified":"2023-12-13T15:14:15","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T15:14:15","slug":"university-of-portsmouth-project-looks-to-eradicate-plastic-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/university-of-portsmouth-project-looks-to-eradicate-plastic-pollution\/25715\/","title":{"rendered":"University of Portsmouth project looks to eradicate plastic pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"
The project will support the researchers for four years to explore the complex and exponentially growing issue of marine plastic<\/a> pollution. The programme is supported by Aquapak<\/a>, a material technologies company from the UK, to tackle this significant global problem.<\/p>\n Estimates suggest that in the UK alone, around five million tonnes of plastic are used annually, with about 50% of this ending up as marine plastic pollution that harms the environment. Plastic waste is a severe problem, as when plastic breaks down in our oceans, they pose a significant threat to marine and human health.<\/p>\n Professor Steve Fletcher, Director of Revolution Plastics and the Global Plastics Policy Centre at the University of Portsmouth, said: \u201cRelatively little is known about how and what speed plastic packaging degenerates in the environment and how industry practice could help to end the damaging impact of plastics. To develop meaningful solutions, it is vital to better understand the products causing the plastic pollution, how they pollute and how their damage can be reduced. Research is key to shaping that understanding and the transformational change that will follow. Having a dedicated team of scientists is really going to help accelerate our search for solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n The research group will form an interdisciplinary cluster to perform a total of 20 years of research and will be supported by leading senior scientists in their field. This collaboration of academics will work to innovate solutions to combat marine plastic pollution.<\/p>\n Dr John Williams, Chief Technology Officer, Aquapak, said: \u201cAquapak is delighted to be partnering with the University of Portsmouth in such an important area studying marine pollution associated with plastic packaging. In developing our Hydropol materials platform, we have always been driven by providing a complete solution for the packaging developers and manufacturers, from multifunctionality to safe disposal at the end of use.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, we have always been mindful that inevitably plastic materials escape into the environment and often end up in the oceans, and although this has come to the forefront in recent times, there is very little understanding of exactly how these materials behave in the variety of marine environments. Aquapak\u2019s sponsorship of this ground-breaking interdisciplinary approach with the global experts at the University of Portsmouth will significantly increase the knowledge in this area and aid the drive towards better design, better materials, and a cleaner environment.\u201d<\/p>\n The researchers will work on these projects:<\/p>\n Professor Fletcher concluded: \u201cThis opportunity is likely to create a critical impact that spans the whole supply chain of plastic. The interdisciplinary nature of the PhD cluster means that new knowledge is not produced in isolation, but in a way that ensures all areas inform each other.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A University of Portsmouth programme is supporting five PhD students in pioneering innovative solutions to tackle marine plastic pollution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":25729,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24433],"tags":[24543,3365],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe UK\u2019s role in plastic waste production<\/h3>\n
What will the programme involve?<\/h3>\n
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