PLASTOIL project
16 January
On Thursday 16 January, tests were carried out on Cedre's man-made beach as part of the PLASTOIL project. Funded by the ITOPF R&D Award 2023, this project aims to improve knowledge of the behaviour of pollutants and the response techniques to be implemented in the event of a simultaneous spill of plastic pellets and propulsion fuel. The aim of these tests was to determine how effective beach cleaners are at recovering tarballs mixed with plastic pellets.
During this first experimental phase, we were able to compare the performances of the different pieces of equipment tested in real conditions and to determine their limits of use. Further tests are scheduled to assess other recovery techniques, including the use of finer filtration systems and manual or mechanical devices suited to different types of substrates. The aim of all these experiments is to identify the most effective solutions in order to optimise the clean-up of beaches affected by this type of pollution.