Five technological innovations aimed at preventing plastic litter entering the sea, and cleaning and monitoring seawater, have been developed in a European project.

The CLAIM project was set up in response to 2030 targets from the EU to reduce plastic waste at sea by 50%, and microplastics by 30%, through the Zero Pollution Action Plan. The project partners from academia and industry have been applying a range of technologies and approaches to prevent and manage both micro and macro plastics.

Project coordinator George Triantafyllou from the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) in Greece, said, “What we did in CLAIM will have an impact on the entire society, as the plastic pollution issue affects the health of every creature, We hope that our long-lasting legacy has set a good example and paved the way for further research and policy change.”

The new technologies range from floating booms placed in river estuaries to prevent plastics entering oceans and seas, to a photocatalytic device deployed at the wastewater treatment plant to speed up UV-fuelled degradation of accumulated plastics.

Technology 1: Pre-filtering

• WHERE: Wastewater treatment plant
• WHAT: Microplastics
• AIM: Prevention and monitoring

A pre-filtration system developed at HCMR can be deployed at the wastewater treatment works to retain larger plastics and ensure the smooth functioning of Technology 2 - photocatalytic coating. The system will gather the plastic pieces into a specialised bag inside a cartridge, while simultaneously taking samples before filtration and after nanocoating - to measure effectiveness and inform new strategies.

Technology 2: Photocatalytic device

• WHERE: Wastewater treatment plant
• WHAT: Microplastics
• AIM: Prevention and degradation to harmless materials

The sun's radiation can be used to help breakdown plastics into harmless elements via a photocatalytic device installed at the wastewater treatment plant. The technology is being developed by a team of researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, Lebanese University and PP Polymers, a Swedish company. Visible light photocatalytic coatings are used to speed up UV-fuelled degradation and break down microplastics from personal care products.

Technology 3: Floating booms

• WHERE: River mouths
• WHAT: Microplastics and larger plastic pieces
• AIM: Prevention and monitoring

Building on the proven CLAIM turbidity boom technology, Greek company New Naval will continue development to design and manufacture a floating marine litter containment boom. Using an innovative formation, the barrier can be placed in any natural or artificial flow of water, filtering it using interchangeable screens with meshes of variable sizes. The device can capture visible litter without the need for float and tracking data through monitoring. The Marine Litter Containment Floating Boom can be deployed at sites with high levels of pollutants, including estuaries, outlet pipes and sites affected by stormwater runoff.

Technology 4: Pyroliser

• WHERE: Near shores
• WHAT: Larger plastic pieces
• AIM: Cleaning, reuse and monitoring

A small-scale pyroliser has been developed by IRIS an Italian company specialising in laser and plasma technologies. In this application, plasma-fuelled high temperatures are used to transform solid waste into a combustible gas, called syngas, along with a recyclable solid residue. The process does not produce the dioxins and furans that cause an issue with many thermal processes; in addition, the produced syngas can be reused to fuel ships and for heating in ports. Its suitability for very small-scale applications, up to 100kg of waste per day, means the device can be mounted on small boats working close to shore to collect marine litter nearer to where it enters the water.

Technology 5: FerryBox

• WHERE: Open sea
• WHAT: Larger plastic pieces, microplastics, environmental parameters
• AIM: Data collection and monitoring

The FerryBox is a self-contained system for continuous monitoring of water quality and environmental parameters. It can be installed in commercial vessels and ferries and as the boat travels, the FerryBox collects samples and can monitor for seawater temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen concentration, turbidity, chlorophyll concentration and alkalinity or pH. The data is transmitted in real-time and stored in databases, creating a useful research tool and a picture of live environmental conditions. The network of FerryBoxes will operate in the Baltic and Mediterranean seas.

Ready technologies

The project leaders say the innovative technologies for limiting and preventing plastic pollution have reached a high level of technology readiness and those with the most promising business cases have developed viable plans in order to secure their further uptake by industry.

CLAIM has been funded by a grant from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. It was formed by a consortium of leading international experts from 15 countries in Europe and beyond.

The partners say it has succeeded in delivering qualitative research that can reduce the amount and impact of plastic pollution on the ecosystem-based services of the Mediterranean and Baltic seas.