Programme: H2020–FNR-2020 Innovative Actions
Project title: Smart technology for Marine Litter SusTainable RemOval and Management
Acronym: MAELSTROM
Duration: 01/01/2021 – 31/12/2024
TOTAL BUDGET: EUR 6 809 461,25
ISMAR budget: EUR 1 003 750,00
Web site: https://www.maelstrom-h2020.eu/
Summary:
MAELSTROM will strive to provide answers and technological solutions to the complex question of whether floating river litter should be intercepted, and legacy ml removed, considering the balance between the positive effect of avoiding microplastics degradation into micro/nano plastics and the potential negative effects of the own removal process. Indeed, the type of ecosystem, the efficiency and selectivity of the removal technologies and the frequency of the removal are key variables to this decision making. Recycling the collected litter into higher performance certified “marine-litter-origin” materials and the assessment of the economic and societal impact of these cleaning activities will also be considered.
The project will implement a wide array of complementary activities: from the designing and testing of innovative removal technologies for ml in different coastal ecosystems – the venice lagoon/coast and the estuary of the douro river in porto – to the assessment of the effectiveness of removal and the environmental impact of such cleaning operations, to the adoption and adaptation of full-fledged circular economy solutions to effectively connect economic and environmental gains.
Contact person in ISMAR: fantina.madricardo@ismar.cnr.it
Partnership:
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Italy)
- Stitching Deltares (Netherlands)
- Universita Ta Malta (Malta)
- International Sustainable Development Initiatives (Malta)
- Gees Recyclying Srl (Italy)
- Venice Lagoon Plastic Free (Italy)
- Centro Internazionale in Monitoraggio Ambientale – Fondazione CIMA (Italy)
- Fundacion Tecnalia Research and Innovation (Spain)
- Alpha Consultants ltd (United Kingdom)
- CIIMAR (Portugal)
- Servizi Tecnici Srl (Italy)
- The Great Bubble Barriers (Denmark)
- Makeen Power (Netherland)
- CNRS (France)
