• How novel technologies can contribute to reduce macroplastic and microplastic litter released into the marine environment? The technologies of the CLAIM project

The Horizon 2020 Innovation Action “Cleaning Litter by developing and Applying Innovative Methods in European seas” (CLAIM) is a 4.5 years' project that brought together 21 partners from 13 European Union countries, Tunisia and Lebanon and received funding from the EU under Grant Agreement No 774586. CLAIM focused on the development of five innovative cleaning technologies, modelling tools and approaches fostering ecosystem services, targeting the prevention and in situ management of visible (macroplastics >5 mm) and invisible (micro <5 mm) marine litter at their point of introduction to the marine environment (river estuaries and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs)), towards the mitigation and efficient ecosystem management of marine litter pollution in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas.
The project developed four innovative cleaning technologies and approaches, targeting the prevention of macro and microplastic at their point of introduction to the marine environment, as well as the plastic pollution management in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas. To prevent the spread of marine litter, CLAIM researchers suggest the urgent implementation of several comprehensive methods and technologies. The project partners have successfully designed and tested four CLAIM technologies, namely:
1) a low-cost, automated and self-cleaning filtering system for microplastics for WWTPs, the Waste & Water EcoPlex Microplastic Remover®;
2) a photocatalytic nanocoating device (Photocatalytic Reactor), which is used for speeding up sunfueled degradation and breaking down microplastics into harmless elements;
3) an innovative floating boom (floating barrier- CLEAN TRASH® system1) which collects and sustains litter and macroplastics at river mouths;
4) a small-scale thermal treatment device (PYROLYSER) that transforms solid marine litter into a combustible gas, called syngas.