Presentation
Emerging issue of plastic pellet spills throughout the supply chain: Development of innovative technologies for prevention, remediation and response by Hoola One Technologies
SessionMeet the Poster Authors
DescriptionPre-production plastic pellets are the feeding stock of any plastic product. Spills of pre-production plastic pellets (nurdles) throughout the supply chain commonly occur because of transport accidents or during the transfer of this material from production sites to different means of transportation (trains, boats, trucks). The impact of this emerging contaminant on wildlife and on public safety has been documented in numerous scientific studies and is becoming increasingly alarming. Incentives for the industry to clean up these spills were previously lacking or non-existent because the problem was not well known and documented. However, a growing awareness of this issue as well as internal (Operation Clean Sweep) and external (e.g. Clean Waters Act) regulations will now drive the plastic industry to act in order to contain these spills. On the other hand, existing technological solutions to clean up affected sites are not engineered specifically for this application, making them inadequate and inefficient in many spill scenarios. To fill this technological gap, Hoola One has developed a range of innovative tools customized for the decontamination of microplastics in different types of environments (plastic plant sites, riverbanks, beaches, etc.) to provide better response in case of a spillage. This paper will therefore discuss the various challenges associated with the development of innovations specially adapted to these spills, as well as results obtained from pilot projects in different spill contexts and environments.
Event Type
Poster
TimeMonday, May 13th5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
LocationExhibit Hall G
Preparedness
Prevention
Remediation
Response
Restoration