Projet SOPLAS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2020)
Action : Doctoral Networks
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Plastics have become a key component of modern agriculture, both directly, through their use in production systems, such as greenhouse cover films and silage bags, and indirectly, such as through the application of sewage sludge or compost. However, we know almost nothing about the fate of this plastic and its impact on soil functions. The SOPLAS ETN will address this critical knowledge gap, while delivering significant advances in understanding the plastic cycle within soil and supporting the development of environmental policies, agricultural practices and industrial opportunities related to mitigating the impact of plastics on the environment. More specifically, SOPLAS will: (i) adapt and optimise existing tools to detect and quantify macro- and microplastic input into agricultural soils; (ii) improve understanding of the degradation mechanisms of conventional and biodegradable plastic, as basis of optimizing used plastic materials and identifying remediation pathways; (iii) determine the impact of microplastic on soil functions and soil health; (iv) identify pathways for microplastic export from agricultural soils to freshwater ecosystems; and (v) analysis farmers’ and consumers’ willingness to reduce the input of plastic material into agricultural soils. To address these project aims and train a new generation of leading experts understanding the nexus of plastic-agriculture-soil, SOPLAS will bring together a truly multidisciplinary team of academic and industry experts, comprising economists, agronomists, hydrologists, soil scientists, microbiologists and chemists, using the most advanced state-of-the-art approaches in their respective fields. The training network will facilitate a dialogue between researchers, industry and practitioners with as ultimate goal to advance the sustainable use of plastics in European agriculture.

Mots clés : microplastic, plastic, agriculture, soil, compost, sludge, irrigation, plastic mulching, microbiology, organisms, soil health, ecotoxicology, plastic economy

Participants :
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (Autriche) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 264207.24 €
- University of Augsburg (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 505576.8 €
- Wessling gmbh (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 252788.4 €
- University of Bonn (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 252788.4 €
- Czech Technical University in Prague (Rép. Tchèque) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 234871.56 €
- Durham University (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 303172.56 €
- Wageningen University & Research (Pays-Bas) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 265619.88 €
- Universidade de Vigo (Espagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 250904.88 €
- Lancaster University (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 606345.12 €
- Spanish National Research Council (Espagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 501809.76 €
- Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (Suisse) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 281276.64 €