From May 21 to 24, the PAPILLONS project team gathered in Helsinki for our annual seminar, and what an incredible week it was ! Many thanks to all consortium members, stakeholders and and organizers for this important week for the PAPILLONS project !
We’re excited to share a daily recap of this fantastic week of exchanges and fruitful discussions over the next days.
Tuesday, May 21 : Science Day
Our Science Day kicked off with some presentations from our first work packages :
– Biodegradation of Biodegradable and Conventional Mulching Films Under Field Conditions in Southern and Northern Europe by Christina Pyromali
– The Fate of Biodegradable Mulching Films Buried in Soil by Luca Gargiulo
– Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Additives in Mulching Films by Giuseppe Proietto Salanitri
– The Secrets of Biodegradation of Biodegradable Mulching Films in Soil by Demetres Briassoulis
– GIS Mapping of Agricultural Plastic Waste: The Case of Southern Europe by Fabiana Convertino
We then moved to field experiments, which highlighted the impact of microplastics on soil and earthworms, as well as soil properties like texture and aggregates.
In the afternoon, we delved into the CLIMECS experiment. This experiment uses controlled laboratory conditions to enhance our understanding of how ecosystems respond to climate change. By utilizing intact ecosystem samples taken directly from nature, CLIMECS provides an unmatched level of ecological realism.
The CLIMECS experiment within the PAPILLONS project aims to understand the fate of microplastics in soil ecosystems under varying watering regimes and the presence of earthworms. Soil columns impregnated with microplastics common in agricultural environments were used to study the vertical transport dynamics of microplastics through different soil layers. Additionally, the influence of earthworm activity and watering regimes on microplastic mobility was examined, alongside comprehensive assessments of soil physico-chemical properties, microbial activity, and stress indicators in flora and fauna.
We wrapped up the day with the results from the European spatial survey, presenting tests on microplastics, earthworms, and microbes.