Futurebio Project Qualifies for Support

The Futurebio project "Let's use biodegradable plastic for the future!" developed by Pamukkale Üniversitesi faculty members will be supported by the Turkey National Agency under the Higher Education Cooperation Partnerships framework. Pamukkale Üniversitesi (PAÜ) faculty members Assoc. Prof. Arzum Işıtan, Prof. Cem Gök, Lecturer Mine Sulak, Lecturer Volkan Onar, Prof. Fatma Susar and Instructor Ramazan Çağrı Kutlubay have won support from the Turkey National Agency for their project "Let's use biodegradable plastic for the future!"

Raising biological awareness in society

The FutureBio project has been developed to reduce humanity's carbon footprint on nature, create a sustainable future and a greener world. The project's primary objective is to inform the public systematically and scientifically about biodegradable plastics as a solution and to establish an educational platform. The project, coordinated by Pamukkale Üniversitesi, includes partners from Turkey: Selçuk Üniversitesi and Kırklareli Üniversitesi; from Italy: Cosvitec Societa Consortile Arl, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Universita Degli Studi Di Trento and Indivenire srl; from Germany: Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg; from Romania: Unıversitatea Tehnica Cluj-Napoca; from Finland: CTRL Reality Oy; and from Switzerland as associated partner: University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland.

Plastic packaging waste accounts for 8% of total waste

Assoc. Prof. Arzum Işıtan from Pamukkale Üniversitesi Faculty of Technology provided comments on the project. Işıtan noted that the project's starting point is plastic waste recycling and the environmental damage caused by such waste. Işıtan stated: "According to EU reports, plastic packaging waste accounts for approximately 8% of total waste volume. In addition to this, microplastics—small particles under 5 millimetres—pose a major problem in the pollution of rivers, lakes, seas and oceans. For plastic materials that remain undegraded for many years, disposal methods include recycling, incineration for energy production, composting or biodegradation in soil. It is noted that approximately 25.8 million tons of plastic waste is produced annually in the EU and only 6% of plastic products used are recycled plastic. The FutureBio project was developed to contribute to these fundamental priorities."

Raising awareness through various organizations

Sharing valuable information about the project, Assoc. Prof. Arzum Işıtan conveyed that the project has been prepared in accordance with the European Union's strategy in education to develop cooperation in learning activities of individuals and groups, increase quality and promote innovation. Noting that the importance of digital education under the 'Digital Education Action Plan' was also considered in the project's preparation, Işıtan stated: "Taking these issues into account, our priority is to develop high-performance digital technology for university students and industry workers within the project scope. In this way, we aim to develop high-quality digital technologies for the education of university and industry organizations across Europe that provide information about polymers, biopolymers and their production technologies. Through these digital tools, we aim to increase capacity and flexibility in education. Online educational materials, laboratory videos, virtual reality tools and textbooks will be prepared within the project scope. All these products will be made accessible to everyone through the website. Organizing informational meetings, competitions and various activities to raise awareness at secondary and higher education levels are among the objectives of this project," he said.