Currently, there is no standardized methodology for analyzing the presence of these materials. Therefore, the technology center is developing an innovative methodology to support companies in the Valencian Community in improving their environmental safety and anticipating future regulations on the use or generation of microplastics in products and industrial effluents. The level of analytical technologies and knowledge required to achieve this objective is so high that companies must rely on the support of highly specialized and qualified centers to meet this demand. Thanks to this project, companies will have a greater capacity to manage their materials and processes to reduce the potential presence or generation of microplastics, as well as to anticipate future legislation on the matter.
Restrictions on the presence, use, or generation of microplastics in industrial processes should, foreseeably, go hand in hand with the definition and standardization of protocols for microplastic analysis. For their part, companies must pay attention not only to the correct selection of raw materials (taking into account impurities, byproducts, and contaminants) but also to the processing stages, from the starting material to the final product, considering the potential for the generation, introduction, or elimination of microplastics at each stage. A standardized study of the presence or potential generation of microplastics at the different stages of each industrial process will allow for the reduction of their occurrence or their complete elimination where possible.
Collaboration and Knowledge Transfer to Companies:
The MICROPLASTICS_2020 project is developing an innovative methodology that requires a high level of R&D, as there are no standardized methods for the detection, identification, and quantification of microplastics in different media. For AIMPLAS, this project marks the beginning of a new line of research, involving companies from the Valencian Community through the contribution of case studies and information related to their production processes. Specifically, the companies AGUA MINERAL SAN BENEDETTO, GLOBAL OMNIUM, and ACTECO PRODUCTOS Y SERVICIOS are collaborating on the project.
This cooperation with companies will allow the technology center to continue and consolidate this line of research through the free transfer of results to both the companies that collaborate on the technical packages and the rest of the industry through reports and public deliverables, which will ultimately benefit consumers in Valencian society and also the environment.
This project is funded by the Valencian Regional Government's Ministry of Sustainable Economy, Productive Sectors, Trade and Labor through IVACE grants, with co-financing from the EU's ERDF funds, within the ERDF Operational Programme of the Valencian Community 2014-2020. These grants are aimed at technology centres in the Valencian Community for the development of non-economic R&D projects carried out in cooperation with companies for the 2020 financial year.
