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Journal of Environmental Waste Management and Recycling | Volume 1
March 05-06, 2018 | London, UK
Recycling & Waste Management
5th International Conference on
Understanding the fragmentation of plastic debris in the environment
Alexandra ter Halle
National Centre for Scientific Research, France
Over 322 million tons of plastic have been produced
worldwide in 2015. Plastic inputs into the ocean was
estimated at 8 million metric tons in 2010. Most concerning is
the estimation for 2025 that could reach 150millionmetric tons
if the effort to develop collection, sorting and reprocessing of
recyclable plastics is not prosecuted. Plastic debris is abundant
and widespread in the environment. Marine plastic pollution
has been recently recognized as a global environmental threat 2,
3. The scientific community has been able to record the breadth
of this pollution worldwide but the adverse consequences on
ecosystems and human health is not fully understood. There
are still fundamental knowledge gaps in the transformation
and fate of plastic debris in the aquatic or marine environment.
Understanding the fragmentation of plastic debris is an
essential step in order to apprehend in witch way very small
plastic particles are formed (micrometric and nanometric).
The results presented are based on a detailed physicochemical
characterization of microplastics (300 µm – 5 mm) collected
at the surface of the North Atlantic accumulation zone. The
result implies that smaller fragments are formed and underline
the need to develop reliable sampling and detection methods
for very small plastic particles in environmental samples. The
French project Expedition 7th Continent will be also presented.
It gather scientific studies together with political and societal
actions. Controlling plastic pollution involves promoting
recycling and the circular economy. These measures must be
accompanied simultaneously by a change in our consumption
behavior, through education and citizen awareness, because
the health of the sea and the oceans depends on each of us.
The accumulation of waste in the sea is a global problem that
requires comprehensive and coordinated solutions.
Speaker Biography
Alexandra ter Halle is a full time researcher since 2004. First she was part of the
Laboratoire de Photochimie Moléculaire et Macromoléculaire (LPMM, UMR 6505
CNRS-Université Blaise Pascal, Aubière) and since September 2011 she joined the
laboratoire des IMRCP (Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse). After studying at the
Ecole Normale Supérieur de Lyon from 1993 to 1997 she graduated her PhD in
organic chemistry in 2000 et the Université Claude Bernard de Lyon. During 7 years
in Clermont Ferrand her researches were focused on the fate of organic contaminants
under irradiation. She has initiated and coordinated different projects (project ANR
ECOPHYTO, FUI PHYTOMAR, and industrial partnership with Syngenta). At the IMRCP
she is studying green materials for use in environmental chemistry. She is the author of
about 46 publications and 6 patents.
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