Claire Coutris
Forsker
Biografi
Claire er forsker på NIBIO siden 2013. Hun har en doktorgrad i miljøkjemi og økotoksikologi fra NMBU og en mastergrad i økologi og økotoksikologi fra Universitet i Toulouse (Frankrike).
Claire er opptatt av å forstå hva som skjer med miljøgifter som havner i jord som følge av menneskelig aktivitet (f.eks. ved bruk av avløpsslam, biorest og plantevernmidler i landbruksjord). Hvor fort brytes uønskede stoffer ned i jord? Hoper de seg opp i planter og i jordorganismer (f.eks. meitemark)? Hvor giftige er de for jordlevende organismer og planter og hva er miljøgiftenes effekter?
Arbeidet inkluderer lab- og feltforsøk, bruk av metoder og instrumenter for å spore miljøgifter og deres effekter på jord og jordorganismer, og samarbeid med andre faggrupper (f.eks. organisk og uorganisk kjemi, molekylærbiologi, mikroskopi).
Sammendrag
Funn fra PROLAND: Soppmidler og mikroplast i jorda Forskerne i PROLAND-prosjektet har undersøkt hva som skjer når soppmidler enten adsorberes på bionedbrytbar plastfolie som blir pløyd ned i jorda, kontra at de blandes direkte i jorda. Har dette noe å si for nedbrytningen av soppmidlene? Forskerne har fulgt nedbrytningsforløpet til tre soppmidler tillatt i norsk landbruk, og har nå svaret… Vi får også et unikt innblikk i hvordan meitemarken – naturens egen jordbearbeider – påvirkes av mikroplast. Hvor lang tid tar det for eksempel før en mikroplastpartikkel passerer gjennom meitemarkens tarm? Temaet er kanskje lite delikat på selveste valentinsdagen, men passer utmerket for oss som er nysgjerrige på mikroplastens mobilitet i jorda.
Sammendrag
Food waste collection in Norway is mostly done using plastic bags, made either of polyethylene or, more recently, of biodegradable plastics, which are materials that can be degraded by microorganisms under certain environmental conditions and time frames. Most of the biodegradable plastic bags used in Norway for food waste collection are labelled as compostable, i.e. degradable under composting conditions, but end up in biogas plants and only rarely in composting plants. The present work provides answers to the following questions. First, to what extent are biodegradable plastic bags deteriorated during anaerobic digestion of food waste. Secondly, is the situation different under mesophilic (37°C) and thermophilic (55°C) conditions. Finally, does thermal hydrolysis (THP) pretreatment of food waste containing biodegradable plastic change the results. In tests offering optimal conditions for microorganisms involved in anaerobic digestion, limited deterioration of biodegradable plastics (Mater-Bi® certified as compostable under industrial (ICP) and home (HCP) composting conditions, representative of what is used in Norway for food waste collection for biogas production) was observed, as shown by limited mass loss (14-21 % for ICP and 22-33 % for HCP) and limited changes in the chemical composition after 22 d, a relevant hydraulic retention time for industrial biogas plant operations. Higher mass loss was observed under thermophilic conditions compared to mesophilic conditions. The effect of THP pretreatment of food waste containing biodegradable plastics offered unexpected results: while a small, non-significant increase in mass loss was observed for ICP, THP led to a significantly reduced mass loss for HCP during anaerobic digestion. The biogas process itself was not significantly affected by ICP and HCP present in food waste at a 4 % plastic to food waste ratio. The present research shows that the majority (79-86 % of ICP and 67-78 % of HCP) of biodegradable plastic residues left after initial pretreatment of food waste, will withstand anaerobic conditions, both under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, also when subjected to THP pretreatment (5 bars, 160°C, 20 min). This strongly suggests that post-treatment of digestate is required to avoid the spread of biodegradable plastics to agricultural soils, for digestates intended for agricultural use.
Forfattere
Gunhild Bødtker Claire Coutris Eva Marie-Louise Denison Åsa Frostegård Erik J. Joner Bjørn Tore Lunestad Elisabeth Henie Madslien Kaare Magne Nielsen Pål TrosvikSammendrag
In this self-tasking scoping review, VKM will map research about the environmental impacts of biodegradable plastics, including biodegradation rates and material persistence in different environments and geographical regions, the influence on microbial ecology and activity, and ecotoxicological effects of materials and associated chemical substances. Related to this is also research associated with the development of methodology, standards, environmental risk assessment, life cycle impact analyses, material sources and properties of biodegradable plastics and products. The aim is to 1) determine the extent of evidence summarised in reviews and original research papers within this emerging research area and 2) map the evidence according to the materials and chemicals studied, types of environments and geographical regions covered, the hypotheses addressed, the type of endpoints assessed and the reported key findings. Systematic literature searches will be performed to identify the summarised evidence, applying APRIO to develop a tailored search protocol that addresses the multi- and cross-disciplinary nature of the research area. We will select and map the identified publications applying Rayyan and sort them into three categories based on their main scientific focus and aim of study: 1) material properties and application, 2) biodegradation and microbial ecology, and 3) ecotoxicology. There will be no geographical restrictions on the search and study selection, but in the data charting process we will highlight findings relevant to Norway and other Nordic countries. The current project adheres to the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist” for protocol development and reporting. We will address uncertainties associated with research studies applying EFSA guidelines and their generic list of common types of uncertainty affecting scientific studies and assessments.
Divisjon for miljø og naturressurser
PROLAND – Beskytte landbruket mot plastforurensning
I PROLAND undersøker vi kilder til plastforurensning i landbruksjord: avløpsslam, kompost, biorest, landbruksplast og avsetninger fra atmosfæren. Konsentrasjoner av plast, plasttyper og additiver knyttet til plast skal kvantifiseres i landbruksjord fra ulike områder. Videre skal det vurderes hvilke risikoer mikroplast, plastadditiver og plantevernmidler utgjør for jordøkosystemet.
Divisjon for miljø og naturressurser
PROLAND – Protecting agricultural lands from plastic pollution
PROLAND addresses the sources of plastic pollution in agricultural soils: sewage sludge, compost, biogas digestate, agricultural plastics, and atmospheric deposition. The project unfolds pressures of plastic and associated chemical hazards by analyzing their levels in soils and conducting fate and impact studies. It deploys cutting edge “design thinking” methods to co-develop measures for pollution prevention.