Gdańsk University of Technology – Plastic in rivers under control

By Marek Grzybowski

Scientists from Poland will develop a mathematical model that will allow for locating places where plastic accumulates in the coastal zone. The model will allow for determining the route of plastic waste in inland waters. Solutions will be developed that will limit the outflow of plastic into seas and oceans. The research is being conducted by scientists working at the PG Eco-Innovation Center. It is one of the most modern facilities of its kind in Europe.

The project is being carried out by scientists from the Gdańsk University of Technology, the Institute of Geophysics and the Institute of Hydroengineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The scientists will determine the path that plastic bottles and other plastic waste move in small rivers with banks with vegetation, based on scientific research. The routes of plastic flow to the sea will be developed. The scientists will propose solutions that can limit the spread of plastic waste in inland waters, closed seas and oceans.

The project “Study of the mechanism of transport of macroplastic waste in a stream with vegetation” received funding from the National Science Centre under the SONATA 19 programme in the amount of PLN 590,000, of which over PLN 256,000 for PG.

Hydraulics Laboratory – the only such infrastructure in the region

Water is supplied to three channels in a closed circuit to the laboratory. The laboratory has a tank with a capacity of 150 cubic meters, 6 submersible pumps, a collector. It is possible to simulate various water flows, water currents and waves in the Laboratory pool. Scientists can organize almost 20 interchangeable stations in the laboratory. Scientists can conduct research in flow or wave conditions (this is provided by the wave generator). PG scientists conduct research and didactic classes with students in the laboratory.