WG5 Kick-off meeting, on-line (21st April 2022)

First activity of this meeting was introduction of COST Action PRIORITY to the WG5 participants, as well as short self-introduction of the participants. The discussion of the main topics lead to several decisions:

1) to perform a reconnaissance of the WG5 members by collecting information on participant expertise and facilities through an on-line survey;

2) to define the WG5 substructure on the basis of availability, expertise and specific interest of WG5 members;

3) to organize the TRAINING SCHOOL – Micro and nanoplastic pollution: detection and mitigation, present and future challenges associated to the 3^rd International Conference on Microplastic Pollution in Mediterranean Sea, μMED (28-30 September 2022) in Naples, Italy, Partenope Congress Center.

2^nd WG5 meeting, 5^th July 2022, hybrid meeting (Brescia, Italy)

The main outcomes of the meeting were:

1) analysis of the on-line survey and identification of the topic of interests of the WG5 members;

2) Hypothesis of WG5 breakdown in subgroups and identification of subgroup leaders;

3) Structure of the TRAINING SCHOOL – Micro and nanoplastic pollution: detection and mitigation, present and future challenges;

4) Discussion on specific topics:

• Multivariate analysis approaches by Marco Milanesio Università del Piemonte Orientale, Alessandria Italy.
• Biodegradability and Biodegradable polymers by Rosica Mincheva University of Mons, Belgium.

3^rd WG5 meeting, 21^st September 2023, hybrid meeting (Bruxelles, Belgium)

The main outcomes were:

1) Presentation of WG5 subgroup leaders;

2) Discussion on specific topics:

• Circular economy: towards materials more prone to enzymatic recycling by Jean-Marie Raquez University of Mons, Belgium.
• Multivariate analysis methods for polymer characterization: toward the reduction of waste in EPS production and usage by Marco Milanesio Università del Piemonte Orientale, Alessandria Italy.
• From desert to farmland: local solutions for global microplastic challenges by Carlos Espinoza González Research Center for Applied Chemistry, Saltillo Coahuila, Mexico.
• Biodegradation of plastics induced by marine organisms: new plastic materials and future perspectives for bioremediation approaches by Giovanni Libralato Univesity of Naples Federeico II, Naples, Italy.
• Towards novel photochemical aerobic upcycling processes of polystyrene plastics: applications in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals Christoforos by Kokotos National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis 15771, Athens, Greece
• Graphene-based aerogels for micro and nano plastic filtration by Halit Cavusoglu Selcuk University, Konya, Türkiye
• Reduction and determination of microplastics in wastewater through elutriation/centrifugation by Rubén Rodríguez-Alegre Leitat Technological Center, Terrassa (Barcelona), Spain
• Poly(lactic acid) production and chemical recycling on a circular economy approach by Valentina Sessini Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) Spain.
• An engineered cellular system to remove nano/micro-plastic contamination by Urartu Ozgur Safak Seker Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey