Schedule of the event
15.00 - 18.00
Registration
18.00 - 18.15
OPENING CEREMONY
Welcome address
18.15 - 19.15
Opening Keynote Lecture: Damia Barcelo (Catalan Institute for Water Research, Spain)
“Microplastics in terrestrial and aquatic environments: green analytical protocols, risks and sustainable solutions”
19.15 - 20.00
Welcome party
Monday 11th September
SESSION 1
Fate & modelling of micro- and nanoplastics in terrestrial environments
Chairs: Moritz Bigalke, Alberto Frache, Luca Nizzetto
8.30 - 9.00
Keynote Lecture: Luca Nizzetto (Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Norway)
“Confronting uncertainties of models for plastic releases, fate and transport”
9.00 - 10.30
- Marion Yvin – “Degradation and end-of-life of biodegradable plastic mulches in soils”
- Delphine Cirederf Boulant – “Microplastic contamination of organic fertilisers applied to agricultural soils”
- Leah Mupas Segui – “Evaluating policy solutions to address microplastic emissions to land”
- Tommaso Nacci – “Studying the fate of biodegradable mulch films in the environment”
- Vincent Ojijo – “Biodegradable Mulch Films Development: A case study for Africa”
- Zulfiqat Ahmad Saqib – “Distribution characteristics of microplastics in agricultural soils in two cities of Pakistan”
10.30 - 11.00
Coffee break and poster session
SESSION 2
The soil plastisphere: degradation processes, interactions with other stressors and impacts on soil functions
Chairs: Noureddine Bousserrhine, Maria Cristina Cocca, Fabrice Martin-Laurent
11.00 - 11.30
Keynote Lecture: Moritz Bigalke (Technical University Darmstad, Germany)
“100 or 10.000 microplastics kg-1: What are the problems with analyzing MP concentrations in soils?”
11.30 - 13.00
- Marta Elisabetta Eleonora Temporiti – “The fungal assemblage in soil polluted by plastics. Biodiversity, metabolism, and degradation potential”
- Sara Guerrini – “Biodegradable plastics: effects on soil functionality and fertility”
- Sascha E. Oswald – “Non-destructive detection and visualisation of microplastics in sandy soils by a novel 3D imaging approach”
- Francesca Bandini – “Exploring Bioplastic Degrading Microorganisms for Enhanced Biodegradation and Sustainable Waste Management”
- Giuseppe Proietto Salanitri – “Release into the soil of additives contained in biodegradable mulching films during their life of use”
- Guido Zampieri – “Plastic metabolisation potential of the environmental microbiome following long-term exposure”
13.00 - 14.00
Lunch
Invited lectures and flash poster presentations
Chairs: Alexsandra Tubic, Maurizio Avella, Domenico Vito
14.00 - 14.30
Invited lecture - Elena Rovesti (EFSA)
“The work of European Food Safety Authority in the risk assessment of micro and nano plastics in food”
14.30 - 15.00
Invited lecture - Lauren Weir (EIA)
“Cultivating Plastic: Agriplastics, Grocery Retailer supply chains and Regulatory Loopholes: Focus on the UK”
15.00 - 16.00
Flash poster presentations
- Selene Chinaglia – “Analysis of the microplastic emission potential of polymeric materials”
- Medina Veliu – “Application of analytical pyrolysis for the molecular fingerprinting of polymers (PE, PET, PP, PS and PVC) within natural organic matter matrices used for rooftop farming”
- Chiara Gnoffo – “Optimization of pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy parameters in order to obtain nanoplastics calibration curves”
- Filippo Vaccari – “The short-term effect of microplastics in lettuce involves size- and dose-dependent coordinate shaping of root metabolome, exudation profile and rhizomicrobiome”
- Federica Piergiacomo – “Do microplastics offer a suitable surface for antibiotic resistance spread into the open environment?”
- Anna Vanessa Alves – “Agri-Plast – Production Organization and Innovation for the Reduction of Agricultural Plastics”
- Flavia Capuozzo – “Preliminary survey on the occurrence of microplastics in marketed clams (Tapes semidecussatus).”
- Krystina Duswald: “New Spectroscopic Techniques and Machine Learning for Microplastic Identification”
- Gokhan Tuncelli: “The effect of different types of microplastic and acute cadmium exposure on the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck, 1819)”
- Sara Patrucco – “Microplastics contamination in ruminant feeds: an emerging issue for livestock sector”
- Hager Elboghdady – “Microbial acclimation of thermophilic anaerobic digestate enhances biomethane production and biodegradation of polylactic acid in combination with organic wastes.”
- Kate Schofield – “HERA-MP – Establishment of a holistic environmental risk assessment for microplastics in the terrestrial environment using the study of environmentally relevant particles – ECO61”
16.00 - 16.30
Coffee break and poster session
SESSION 3
Exposure assessment of micro- and nanoplastics in foods
Chairs: Margherita Ferrante, Mohamed el Banni, or Joaquim Rovira
16.30 - 17.00
Keynote Lecture: Gea Olivieri Conti (University of Catania)
“Microplastics: the invisible and underestimated risk in the food chain”
17.00 - 18.00
- Nora Exposito – “Marine invertebrates interaction with microand nanoparticles particles: size and morphology influence on ingestion-egestion”
- Benedikt Hufnagl – “Microplastics detection in food and beverages – Fast data processing and visualization approaches for μFTIR hyperspectral imaging based on machine learning”
- Federica Di Giacinto – “Detection of microplastics, polymers and additives in mussels and large pelagic fishes in the Adriatic Sea”
- Claudia Favara – “Evaluation of microplastics in pigs samples intended for human consumption”
20.00
Gala Dinner
Tuesday 12th September
SESSION 4
Toxicological and ecotoxicological impacts of plastics in the agro-food chain
Chairs: Francesca Bandini, Dimitrios Karpouzas, Gea Olivieri Conti
8.30 - 9.00
Invited lecture - Giulia Carcasci (FAO)
“The work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to improve the sustainability of plastics used in agriculture and their alternatives”
9.00 - 9.30
Keynote Lecture: Esperanza Huerta Lwanga (Wageningen University & Research)
“Risk assessment of microplastics along the terrestrial food chain”
9.30 - 10.30
- Sam van Loon – “Effects of starch-PBAT blend microplastics on plant growth, soil organisms, microbial functioning and soil physicochemical properties in a mesocosm study”
- Iteb Boughattas – “Coexposure to environmental microplastic and the pesticide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)
induce distinctive alterations in the metabolome and microbial community structure in the gut of the earthworm Eisenia Andrei” - Sabrine Hattab – “Microplastic in agriculture soils irrigated with treated waste waters: ecotoxicological effects using Lumbricus sp.”
- Giovanni Milani – “Microplastic mediated transfer of Tetracycline resistance: unveiling the role of mussels in marine ecosystem”
10.30 - 11.00
Coffee break and poster session
11.00 - 11.30
Keynote Lecture: Joana Correia Prata (CESPU and University of Porto)
“Impact of airborne and foodborne microplastics on human health”
11.30 - 12.30
- Serena Ducoli – “True-to-life nanoplastics for toxicological and ecotoxicological studies”
- Alessandro Russo – “Bioplastic on marine sandy shores: degradation by supralittoral talitrid amphipods”
- Nicolas Beriot – “Plastic mulch and pesticides residues effects on the lettuce growth”
- Paola Pontecorvi – “Assessing the impact of Polyethylene Nano/Microplastic Exposure on Human Vaginal
Keratinocytes”
12.30 - 13.00
Awards and closing ceremony
13.00 - 14.00
Lunch
14.00 - 15.00
Meeting of the organizing committee, organization of next conference and future steps
FINAL WORKSHOP AND ROUND TABLE
A one-health approach for risk assessment of micro and nano-plastics
(Papillon-Minagris-PRIORITY stakeholders meeting)
Hybrid event free of charge
Chairs: Julie Ingram, Stefania Federici, Luca Nizzetto
15.30 - 18.30
Plastics impact soil ecosystems, enter the agri-food chain, and pose potential toxic effects. The One Health concept, linking human, environmental, and ecosystem health, is crucial. This workshop unites experts, researchers, policymakers, and industry to address micro/nanoplastics’ risks, assessment, and mitigation in agri-food chains. The goal is to fill research gaps and reduce uncertainties for effective policy development.
Session 1
Includes concise updates from MINAGRIS and PAPILLON EU projects on micro/nanoplastic impacts on soil and ecosystem health. Also, a brief introduction to the COST Action PRIORITY will be given by relator Aleksandra Tubić .
Session 2
Includes introductory expert talks followed by Q&A:
- Ettore Capri – Micro/nanoplastics risk assessment roadmap: insights from plant protection products. Ettore Capri, Full Professor in Agricultural Chemistry, brings expertise in pesticide risk assessment, including EFSA Plant Protection Products panel work.
- Margherita Ferrante – Standardizing methods for micro/nanoplastics quantification. Transitioning patented food methods to soil analyses. Margherita Ferrante, Full Professor in Human Hygiene, pioneered patented methods for food microplastics quantification.
Session 3
Interactive in-person session: Risk Assessment Roadmap, Method Standardisation and Research gaps to be met for policy development