NUS-Frontier Lab Joint Seminar on Waste Plastics and Microplastics, 18 July 2024

Group photo with organisers, speakers, and participants of the Waste Plastics & Microplastics seminar.

Opening address by Dr Sathrugnan Karthikeyan from Frontier Lab, Japan, to a full room of attendees.

Presentation by Dr He Meibo, NERI Research Fellow, on microplastic assessment.

Panel discussion with, from left: Dr He Meibo (NERI), Mr Felix Gaffu Tandadjaja (NUS CEE), Dr Umid Man Joshi (SGS Testing), Dr Ichi Watanabe and Dr Sathrugnan Karthikeyan (Frontier Lab, Japan).

NUS NERI and NUS Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) had the honour of jointly host the full-day Waste Plastics & Microplastics seminar with Frontier Laboratories Ltd., Japan on July 18, 2024.

Speakers from academic and industry gathered to present their efforts in this emerging field. The seminar began with opening addresses by Dr. Sathrugnan Karthikeyan from Frontier Lab and Professor Hu Jiangyong, Deputy Director of NERI. This was followed by presentations by speakers on topics including state-of-the-art microplastic analysis, environmental monitoring of microplastics, and waste plastics recycling.

Notably, NUS speakers, Mr. Felix Gaffu Tandadjaja and Dr. He Meibo, shared their work on microplastic assessment. Mr. Tandadjaja focused on modelling the transport and fate of microplastics in Singapore's coastal waters, while Dr. He Meibo discussed the suitable proportion of waste plastic that can be introduced into asphalt mixes without compromising leaching potential of microplastics into the environment. Additionally, NUS researcher Ms Wang Yiying presented her research on waste plastic upcycling using thermochemical processes.

The joint seminar concluded with a closing remark by Assoc Prof Raymond Ong, Deputy Head (Research) of NUS CEE emphasising the importance of continued collaboration between industrial partners and academic researchers to drive innovation and address environmental challenges.

Microplastic pollution is receiving widespread international attention due to its potential impacts on human health and the environment. At NERI, research tracks, Environmental Surveillance and Treatment, and Resource Recovery and Circular Economy, have made significant strides in microplastics assessment and waste plastics upcycling. Read more at:

https://nus.edu.sg/neri/research/environmental-surveillance-treatment/

https://nus.edu.sg/neri/research/resource-recovery-and-circular-economy/

Speakers:

Dr Sam Ding Xiande, Bruker, Singapore
Dr Sathrugnan Karthikeyan, Frontier Laboratories Ltd., Japan
Mr Felix Gaffu Tandadjaja, Researcher, NUS CEE
Dr Ichi Watanabe, Frontier Laboratories Ltd., Japan
Dr He Meibo, Research Fellow, NUS NERI
Dr Umid Man Joshi, SGS Testing, Singapore
Prof Chanatip Samart, Thammasat University, Thailand
Ms Wang Yiying, Researcher, NUS Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering