“Microplastics in Composts, Digestates and Food Wastes: A Review” with Kate Porterfield, PhD Candidate at University Vermont and Dr. Eric Roy, Associate Professor at University of Vermont.

Diverting organic materials and food waste from landfills and recycling them for beneficial use in agriculture is a great way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, intermingled microplastics from packaging and other sources could make these recycled materials less beneficial than they otherwise might be. This episode, Kate and Eric discuss their review paper studying the prevalence of these contaminants, how they’re measured, and how these results intertwine with current policy efforts.

Tune in to learn:

·         How microplastics can get into food waste

·         How scientists measure microplastics

·         Needs for syncing research and policy

·         How factors like weight, density, and mass can impact microplastic measurements

If you would like more information about this topic, this episode’s paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20450

This paper is always freely available.

Contact us at [email protected] or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe. If you’d like to see old episodes or sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/.

If you would like to reach out to Kate, you can find her here:
[email protected]
www.linkedin.com/in/kate-porterfield
https://twitter.com/KatePorterfield

If you would like to reach out to Eric, you can find him here:
[email protected]
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecoeng/
https://twitter.com/ericdroy

If you would like to reach out to Jaya Nepal from our Student Spotlight, you can find him here:
[email protected]
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mejayxoxo18
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mejayxoxo18/

Resources

CEU Quiz: https://web.sciencesocieties.org/Security/Sign-In?returnurl=%2fLearning-Center%2fCourses%2fCourse-Detail%3fproductid%3d%257b3F4C664E-986E-EE11-8DF0-000D3A592D44%257d 

Transcripts: https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/shared/xRlHgGXdYsTC11rog1p-w0JYBSNsrLBBwcntmqklTfsNHlDDp4TgUvO4vFQvdLglUApGlCOObUMf0BpgCy4VnJHaUGU?loadFrom=SharedLink 

Nutrient Cycling & Ecological Design Lab @ UVM: https://nced.weebly.com/

“Organics Recycling Tradeoffs: Biogas Potential and Microplastic Content of Mechanically Depackaged Food Waste” article in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering:  https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c01710

EPA Emerging Issues in Food Waste Management series: https://search.epa.gov/epasearch/?querytext=emerging+issues+in+food+waste+management&areaname=&areacontacts=&areasearchurl=&typeofsearch=epa&result_template=2col.ftl#/

Sponsored by METER Group. METER sensors deliver real-time, plant, soil, and atmospheric data that fuels environmental research. Listen to METER Group’s new podcast We Measure the World to hear how innovative researchers leverage environmental data to make our world a better—and more sustainable—place at metergroup.com/fieldlabearth.

Field, Lab, Earth is Copyrighted by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.