#Nurdles: The Worst #ToxicWaste You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Billions of these tiny #plastic pellets are floating in the ocean, causing as much damage as oil spills, yet they are still not classified as hazardous

by Karen McVeigh

"Nurdles, the colloquial term for 'pre-production #plastic pellets', are the little-known building block for all our plastic products. The tiny beads can be made of #polyethylene, #polypropylene, #polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride (#PVC) and other plastics. Released into the environment from plastic plants or when shipped around the world as raw material to factories, they will sink or float, depending on the density of the pellets and if they are in freshwater or saltwater.

"They are often mistaken for food by seabirds, fish and other wildlife. In the environment, they fragment into nanoparticles whose hazards are more complex. They are the second-largest source of #micropollutants in the ocean, by weight, after tyre dust. An astounding 230,000 tonnes of nurdles end up in oceans every year."

#PlasticPollution #Micrplastics

Read more: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/nurdles-the-worst-toxic-waste-you-ve-probably-never-heard-of?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Backwashing affects the removal of #micropollutants and the dynamic changes in the #microbial community in sand #filters.

#microbiome #biofilm

https://phys.org/news/2023-04-backwashing-affects-micropollutants-dynamic-microbial.html

New NIOO publication: Impact of #wastewater characteristics on the removal of organic #micropollutants by Chlorella sorokiniana.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131451

RT @ToxMate_eu: @CORDIS_EU is showcasing the EU-funded #waterprojects. @ToxMate_eu was asked to participate in their podcast.

Tune in to find out how ToxMate monitors the presence of #micropollutants before the polluted #water goes back to its natural #environment.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6wUAcFAHTzMMg5gi5tnVHd?si=9398821ce46d43c4

🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/CORDIS_EU/status/1640964367632965634

New NIOO publication: Monitoring #contaminants of emerging concern in #aquatic systems through the lens of #citizenscience. #micropollutants #microplastics
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162527

#Micropollutants screening in the #Danube River Bassin @WaterRes_J@twitter.com by @nikiforosgr@twitter.com and colleagues
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135422014841

Excited to share that in March 2023 I will start as an Assistant Professor with a tenure track in the environmental technology division (ETE) at Wageningen University.

My research will focus on treating #micropollutants in water via #sorption technologies with a special focus on ionic and ionizable persistent mobile and toxic (#PMT) substances.

Very excited about this next chapter..