NEWSROOM

*** This release is originally published in Turkish.

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TURKEY - The amount of microplastic waste, which harms thousands of living things in nature and causes genetic deterioration in the human body, is increasing daily. The data published by the European Environment Agency points to more than 14 million tons of microplastics on the floor of the oceans and draws attention to the fact that microplastics are not only found in nature but also in human blood.

 The amount of microplastic waste, defined as pieces of plastic waste smaller than five millimeters, is increasing daily. According to data released by the European Environment Agency, more than 14 million tons of microplastics have accumulated on the floor of the oceans. Research indicates that microplastics are found not only in nature but also in human blood. While the efforts of scientists to prevent this situation continue, research projects developed by universities in Turkey support sustainable initiatives against microplastics on a global scale.

The research titled “Investigation of the Precipitation Rates of Regular and Irregular Shaped Microplastic Particles by Experimental, Computational and Deep Learning Methods,” conducted by Associate Professor Aslı Numanoğlu Genç, a lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering at TED University and in which member from different disciplines is involved as a researcher was accepted under the TÜBİTAK ARDEB 1001 program. The project, which TÜBİTAK will support for 32 months, it is aimed to develop a precipitation rate calculation method that can be used reliably in modeling studies and will be valid for all microplastic types.

“Microplastics cause genetic disorders in the human body”

Pointing out that microplastics are one of the most critical environmental problems of recent years, Assoc. Dr. Aslı Numanoğlu Genç shares the details of the project with these words: “The amount of microplastic waste in the environment is increasing daily. Microplastic wastes are even seen in the foods we consume. While microplastics cause genetic disorders in the human body, they also cause the death of living things in nature. It is known that there is a large amount of microplastic pollution in the Mediterranean, where our country also has long coasts, and neighboring countries are planning to prevent this situation. We developed a project based on the necessity of determining the sources of microplastic pollution, determining the potential to reach seawater, calculating the risks, and preventing pollution. Our project proposal was deemed worthy of 32 months of support by TUBITAK.”

The project will be a source of information for decision-makers.

Stating that the research project results will be a source of information for decision-makers and practitioners, Associated Professor Aslı Numanoğlu Genç, “Our project will also contribute to the title of “Investigation of Factors Affecting Water Ecosystems, including Climate Change, Mitigation and Sustainability of Water Management Models and Developing Solutions to Contribute to Restoration” created on TÜBİTAK priority R&D and innovation issues within the scope of Harmonization with the European Green Deal. Professor Doctor Mehmet Ali Kökpınar from the Civil Engineering Department of our university, Ayşe Çağıl Kandemir, Doctor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Onur Baş, Associate Professor of Computer Engineering Gökçe Nur Yılmaz, Professor Hatice Kaplan Can from the Department of Chemistry of Hacettepe University and Çankaya University. Professor Doctor Mustafa Göğüş is involved in our project. We would like to thank all the valuable academicians involved in the project in advance for their contributions.”