TÜBİTAK Provides Support for Microplastic Waste Research

TÜBİTAK Support for Microplastic Waste The amount of microplastic waste, which harms thousands of living organisms in nature and causes genetic damage in the human body, is increasing day by day. Data published by the European Environment Agency points to the presence of more than 14 million tonnes of microplastics on the ocean floor, while highlighting that microplastics are found not only in nature but also in human blood. The amount of microplastic waste, defined as plastic waste particles smaller than five millimetres, is growing daily. According to data published by the European Environment Agency, more than 14 million tonnes of microplastics have accumulated on the ocean floor. Research indicates that microplastics are found not only in nature but also in human blood. While scientists continue their efforts to prevent this situation, research projects developed by universities in Turkey support sustainable initiatives against microplastics on a global scale. Most recently, a research project proposal titled "Investigation of Settling Rates of Regular and Irregular-Shaped Microplastic Particles Using Experimental, Numerical and Deep Learning-Based Methods," led by Assoc. Prof. Aslı Numanoğlu Genç, faculty member of the Civil Engineering Department at TED University, with researchers from different disciplines, was accepted under the TÜBİTAK ARDEB 1001 programme. In the project to be supported by TÜBİTAK for 32 months, the aim is to develop a settling rate calculation method that can be reliably used in modelling studies and will be applicable to all microplastic types.

"Microplastics cause genetic disorders in the human body"

  Assoc. Prof. Aslı Numanoğlu Genç, faculty member of the Civil Engineering Department, drawing attention to the fact that microplastics are one of the most important environmental problems of recent years, stated: "The amount of microplastic waste in the environment is constantly increasing. Microplastic waste is even found in the food we consume. While microplastics cause genetic disorders in the human body, they also lead to the loss of life of organisms in nature. In fact, it is known that there is a large amount of microplastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, where our country has long coastlines, and that neighbouring countries have developed plans to prevent this situation. We developed a project based on the necessity of identifying the sources of microplastic pollution, determining its potential to reach seawater, calculating its risks and preventing pollution, and our project proposal was deemed worthy of support by TÜBİTAK for 32 months."  

Project will serve as information source for decision-makers

Noting that the results of the research project will be an information source that decision-makers and practitioners can use, Assoc. Prof. Aslı Numanoğlu Genç stated, "Our project will also contribute to the topic titled 'Investigation of Factors Affecting Water Ecosystems Including Climate Change, Reduction of Their Effects and Development of Solutions Contributing to Water Management Models and Restorations Ensuring Sustainability,' created under TÜBİTAK's priority research and development and innovation topics within the scope of Alignment with the European Green Deal. Prof. Mehmet Ali Kökpınar from our University's Civil Engineering Department, Asst. Prof. Ayşe Çağıl Kandemir, Asst. Prof. Onur Baş from the Mechanical Engineering Department, Assoc. Prof. Gökçe Nur Yılmaz from the Computer Engineering Department, Prof. Hatice Kaplan Can from Hacettepe University Chemistry Department and Prof. Mustafa Göğüş from Çankaya University are involved in our project. We would like to thank all the valuable academics involved in the project for their contributions."