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Project

Development of new biodegradable plastics through Daphnia microbiomes

Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly encountered and more insight is urgently needed in the effect and degradability of MPs, especially in freshwater ecosystems. When considering plastics reaching the environment, only biodegradable plastics could offer alternative and sustainable solutions. To interrogate the degradability and effects of new “bioplastic formulations” in freshwater ecosystems, we need suitable assays and tools that provide that information. With an interdisciplinary consortium from ecologists, systems biologists and bioscience/chemical engineers, we here aim to explore the response of the invertebrate water flea Daphnia and its microbiome to MP pollution and to develop it as an innovative test system for identifying risk and biodegradability of existing and new MP polymers. In addition, we aim to develop future biodegradable plastics, e.g. for use as textile fibers that contribute largely to MP pollution, that complement application performance with high biodegradability and low risk in freshwater ecosystems as assessed by the Daphnia test system.
Date:1 Oct 2020 →  Today
Keywords:Daphnia, Microbiomics, Aquatic Ecology, Bioplastics
Disciplines:Aquatic biology, Polymers and plastics, Microbiome