Title of the Talk: Tackling microplastics pollution in global environment through integration of applied technology, policy instruments, and legislation

Abstract: Microplastic pollution is a serious environmental problem that affects both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Small particles with size of less than 5 mm, known as microplastics (MPs), persist in the environment and pose serious threats to various species from micro-organisms to humans. However, terrestrial environment has received less attention than the aquatic environment, despite being a major source of MPs that eventually reaches water body. To reflect its novelty, this work aims at providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of MPs pollution in the global environment and various solutions to address MP pollution by integrating applied technology, policy instruments, and legislation. This review critically evaluates and compares the existing technologies for MPs detection, removal, and degradation, and a variety of policy instruments and legislation that can support the prevention and management of MPs pollution. Furthermore, this review identifies the gaps and challenges in addressing the complex and diverse nature of MPs and calls for joint actions and collaboration from stakeholders to contain MPs. As water pollution by MPs is complex, managing it effectively requires their responses through the utilization of technology, policy instruments, and legislation. It is evident from a literature survey of 227 published articles (1961-2023) that existing water technologies are promising to remove MPs pollution. Membrane bioreactors and ultrafiltration achieved 90% of MPs removal, while magnetic separation was 88% effective at extracting target MPs from wastewater. In biological process, one kg of wax worms could consume about 80 g of plastic/day. This means that 100 kg of wax worms can eat about 8 kg of plastic daily, or about 2.9 tons of plastic annually. Overall, the integration of technology, policy instrument, and legislation is crucial to deal with the MPs issues. Keywords: Climate change; Marine; Maritime; Nanoplastics; Ocean; Plastics

Biography: Dr. Tonni Agustiono Kurniawan is a recognized global leader in tackling complex environmental problems that have significant societal relevance and positive impact in the world. His research interests are in the areas of wastewater treatment and solid waste management. Dr. Kurniawan is an outstanding all-around scholar. The scientific contributions are tangible manifestations of his competence and research impact in the discipline. Just recently, the Elsevier publisher and Stanford University (US) have listed him among the top 2% of highly cited scientists in the field of Environmental Sciences.

Title of the Talk: Abundance and Characterization of Microplastics in Different Water Matrices and Their Removal from Sewage Systems by Sustainable Tertiary Treatment Processes

Abstract: Microplastics (MPs) are tiny plastic particles measuring less than 5 mm in size and are considered as emerging hazardous micro-pollutants globally owing to their pervasive presence in the environment and potential ecological and human health hazards. Atmosphere is regarded as a significant pathway for MPs global cycling, while land-based sources including discharge from sewage treatment plants (STPs) are acting as a prominent route for their re-entry into the riverine systems. Though MPs abundance and removal efficacy in different secondary treatment technique-based STPs have been extensively studied worldwide, such studies are scarce in Indian conditions. In this context, the first segment of the talk intends to provide the first evidence of MPs deposition in rainwater (wet atmospheric MPs deposition) in the selected urban and peri-urban areas of India, highlighting their characteristics, potential sources, and transport factors in the environment. Additionally, a comprehensive assessment of MPs abundance, distribution, characteristics, and their removal efficacy in the selected secondary treatment technique-based STPs like activated sludge process (ASP), aerated lagoon (AL), sequential batch reactor (SBR), moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR), fluidized aerobic bioreactor (FAB), upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASB), trickling filter (TF), and bio-tower (BT) in India will be provided. Of late, the need for sustainable tertiary treatment techniques for MPs removal has been realized due to their considerable presence in large volumes of secondary-treated sewage effluent despite the high removal efficacy of STPs. Since the coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation (CFS) system and rapid sand filtration are recognized as low-maintenance tertiary treatment techniques, it is necessary to investigate their MPs removal efficacy from secondary-treated sewage effluents. Moreover, the information on the application of either a combined system of an inorganic coagulant and an organic biopolymer as a coagulant or a biochar-integrated rapid sand filtration in removing MPs and their interaction in the aqueous matrices is scarce. In these regards, the second segment of the talk intends to deal with the removal of MPs from real-time secondary-treated effluents from MBBR and SBR-based STPs using ferric chloride (inorganic coagulant) and chitosan (biopolymer) as the coagulant aid based on the outcomes of batch experimentation with parametric effects on synthetic water containing polystyrene (PS) microbeads. Similarly, the use of cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB)-modified magnetic biochar, derived from locally-available biomass, as a novel adsorbent and their potential integration in a rapid sand filter to remove MPs during batch sorption and fixed-bed column studies will be also discussed. The applications of the ferric chloride-chitosan CFS system as well as CTAB-modified magnetic biochar-integrated sand filtration on the real sewage effluents spiked with PS microbeads showing efficient MPs removal highlights their practical relevance as sustainable tertiary treatment techniques for removing MPs from sewage effluents.

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Title of the Talk: Microplastics, nanoplastics, and microalgae in aquatic ecosystem

Abstract: Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are a serious environmental problem in the aquatic ecosystem. Indonesia is the second-largest plastic polluter in the world after China. This paper reviews the occurrence and distribution of MNPs pollution in Indonesia. Fragments, foams, pellets, films, fibers, and microbeads are common shapes of MNPs abundant in the aquatic ecosystem. MNPs in aquatic ecosystems are then ingested by marine biota and make their way into the human food chain. The occurrence of MNPs in aquatic ecosystems has been studied in several places, but the influence of MNPs in the ecosystem function and food webs, as well as their interaction with microalgae as a primary basis of aquatic food webs, needs further study. The current state of knowledge on the interaction between MNPs and microalgae. Epiplastic has been studied and reported in different communities compared to the surrounding ecosystem. This is a challenge to further studies: do microalgae able to remediate MNPs, or do MNPs influence microalgae growth?

Biography: Tri Retnaningsih Soeprobowati, leader of Cluster for Paleolimnology (CPalim), Diponegoro University, Indonesia. She has been working in aquatic ecosystem since 1995. Her research topics are focused on microalgae as bioindicator of water quality, microalgae for phycoremediation, and diatoms (Bacillariphytes) for reconstruction of past environmental changes in aquatic ecosystem.

Awards are presented in the following topics:

• Microplastic detection
• Microplastic pollution
• Microplastics identification
• Nanoparticle tracking analysis
• Nanoplastics
• Particle toxicity
• Plastic pollution assessment

Criteria for LTAA
a-The candidate should of 50 years and above. The candidate shall have attained outstanding achievements of lasting significance.
b-The results achieved by the candidate shall have proven impact or great potential and inspiration for further important contributions.
c-Anyone can submit a nomination for the MNPs award, however, self-nominations or nominations by persons with direct professional or family ties to the candidate are not permitted.

Criteria for YRA
a- The candidate should be of age between 30 and 50 years.
b- The candidate should have contributed to any of the two topics widely.
c- The candidate will have to apply for YRA along with the abstract of the work. Once short listed, the candidate will be asked to submit the full length paper and have to present during the webinar.

Criteria for SA
a- The candidate should be a undergraduate, post graduate or research scholar of less than 30 years.
b- The candidate will have to apply for SA along with the abstract of the work. Once short listed, the candidate will be asked to submit the full length paper and have to present during the webinar.

The International Roundtable Webinar Committee and world’s leading experts works in two steps:

a-After the first screening of all nominations, the Committee develops a shortlist. Nominators of shortlisted candidates will be contacted and asked to submit a full nomination (a comprehensive compilation of the candidate’s accomplishments, CV, list of publications, evaluation reports… etc and at least two letters of recommendation).
b-Shortlisted nominations are there after further reviewed so that the Nominating Committee can arrive at a shortlist of only three candidates in ranked order.