Project duration: 2024-2026
Funding: Programme ERDF2021/2027 – First call – Priority 1 Smart – Specific objective 1.1 – Research and innovation
Total budget: 1.217.937,02 €
Maximum total contribution granted: 971.685,82 €
Budget Eco Research: 464.259,10 €
Maximum total contribution granted to Eco Research: 464.259,10 €
Contact persons: Werner Tirler (scientific coordinator), Helga Bonacquisti (project manager)
Description of the project:
In March 2023, the project partners Eco Reseach (lead partner), Eurac Research, Ecocenter Spa, Atzwanger Spa, ARA Pustertal Spa and Obrist Srl, submitted a project proposal entitled “PlasticFree – Harmful, Diffuse and Persistent: Identification and Reduction of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Freshwater Environments in the Province of Bolzano”, in response to the First Call – Priority 1 “Smart” – Specific Objective “1.1 – Develop and strengthen research and innovation capabilities and improve the entry of advanced technologies”, published within the ERDF Programme 2021-2027.
By Decree no. 18465/2023 of the Director of the Office for European Integration, the Autonomous Province of Bolzano admitted the Project for ERDF co-funding, for a total project cost of €1,217,937.02 and a maximum granted contribution of €971,685.82.
The partners of the project EFRE1018-PlasticFree are:
Aim of the Project EFRE1018-PlasticFree:
Micro- and nanoplastics are everywhere, from glaciers to oceans, from the air we breathe to the food we eat; they have even been detected in human blood, lungs, and faeces. These particles are small, insidious, resistant, ubiquitous, fragmentable, and internationally recognised as emerging pollutants. They have serious consequences for the environment and organisms and act as vectors for pathogens and contaminants. Protocols for analysing these substances are not yet standardised and reference legislation is being developed.
The overall aim of this project is to identify and quantify the diffusion of various forms and types of plastics in freshwater ecosystems, taking into consideration various sectors (river and lake water, river sediments, rainfall, groundwater, drinking water, bioaccumulation in invertebrates and fish), as well as to find ways to increase the abatement efficiency of this emerging pollutant at the level of purification plants (inlet and outlet analyses and in sewage sludge) by using prototype abatement systems. We aim to achieve these objectives thanks to the interdisciplinary expertise of the partnership by putting the interest of the population, the environment, and the provincial territory first.
The project will run for three years, from 01/01/2024 to 31/12/2026.
More extensive and detailed information on the objectives, project activities and results can be found on the website dedicated to the EFRE1018-PlasticFree Project at this link.
