Tag Archives: Microplastics

PLASTICS found in fish are entering the human food chain, research supported by a Mountshannon academic has confirmed. Dr Alvin Orbaek White, who works at Swansea University, has just released the findings of a project he supported in Barcelona, which involved a boat-builder and marine biologist catching and examining fish for the presence of plastics. The work was inspired by an idea from artist and boat builder, Mark Redden, with laboratory experiments and scuba diving instructions from marine biologist, Charlie Gaborit. With an estimated 51 trillion micro plastic pieces in the sea, the team of young entrepreneurs and scientists went out in a traditional currach as part of a short scale experiment looking at how micro plastics affect fish stocks and can then enter the human food chain. The work was sponsored by Dr Orbaek White’s start-up TrimTabs. The team’s work was project managed and filmed by Clément Esso and a video, just released, graphically illustrates the plastics problem. “For …

A MOUNTSHANNON man’s innovative start-up company is funding ground-breaking research on marine microplastics, with a view to proving how prevalent the issue is. Dr Alvin Orbaek White, who works at Swansea University, has pioneered a technology that changes waste plastic into valuable compounds for the energy industries, reducing plastics pollution in the process. The research will be instrumental in addressing the global transition to more efficient, cleaner energy resources and providing a new life for waste plastics, keeping them out of land and sea. Dr Orbaek White’s company TrimTabs is supporting research currently underway in Barcelona where artist and boat builder Mark Reddan is working with marine scientists to look at how plastics are entering the food chain. “Part of what we want to do is to get our technology out of the lab and addressing the issue of microplastics which are in everything from our tea to our washing machines,” Dr Orbaek White said. “There’s an annual currach festival …