PSU awarded $1.9M NOAA grant to address microplastic pollution in coastal communities

The coastline at Depoe Bay.

Portland State University (PSU) has been awarded $1,976,806 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Sea Grant Marine Debris Challenge Award Program to lead an innovative and collaborative three-year project to address microplastic pollution on the Oregon coast.

This grant is part of a $27 million project between the U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA. Portland State will host one of 11 projects that received a total of $25 million in funding across Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin. These projects will push the boundaries of existing marine debris prevention and removal technologies and approaches, and turn innovative research into tangible results.

"As coastal tourism continues to grow, so does the strain on our water systems and marine environments," said Elise Granek, project lead and professor of environmental science and management at PSU. "After years of documenting the presence of microplastics in our seafood and waterways, our team is excited to start taking action! This project is an important step in 'turning off the tap' to reduce the flow of microplastics from our communities."

The project - formally titled "Beyond the drain: Tackling anthropogenic particle pollution sources to wastewater and biosolids across communities," or Beyond TAPPS - results from a strong collaboration of a wide range of academic, community, municipal, and Tribal partners, including: Oregon State University, University of Washington and Oregon Sea Grant for this project, as well as Oregon Departments of Environmental Quality and of Fish and Wildlife, the Oregon Coast Visitors Association, Oregon Coast Aquarium, the cities of Cannon Beach, Depoe Bay, Yachats, Mukilteo and Oak Harbor, the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians, the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission, the Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies, the Ocean Conservancy and the Surfrider Foundation.

"Being part of this team is very exciting as the outcomes will have a significant impact not only at the local ecosystem level but also at the global level," said Tala Navab-Daneshmand, associate professor of environmental engineering at Oregon State University and project co-principal investigator.

Beyond TAPPS aims to address microplastics distributed by coastal tourism by developing three types of filters that serve as cost-effective filtration solutions. Those filters would work with washing machines, dishwashers and clothes dryers to remove microplastics.

"I'm really excited to be able to expand on work we've done on the impacts of microfibers and microplastics on coastal ecosystems by taking measures to prevent their release into the environment," said Susanne Brander, ecotoxicologist and associate professor of agricultural sciences at Oregon State and project co-principal investigator.

Jackie Padilla Gamino, associate professor of aquatic and fishery sciences at University of Washington, is also a co-principal investigator on the project.

Their work will measure the effectiveness of intervention strategies that address challenges the tourism industry generally and the hotel industry specifically faces in removing microplastics associated with tourism. Outcomes are expected to inform policy decisions and industry practices, potentially leading to widespread adoption of microplastic reduction strategies in coastal communities across the nation. Work is set to begin later this year and take place over the next three years.

The project also includes a significant educational component, engaging middle and high school students in coastal communities to raise awareness about microplastic pollution and involve them in citizen science initiatives.

"By engaging students and the public, we're not just conducting research - we're building a community of informed citizens who can drive long-term change in how we manage microplastic pollution," said Angee Doerr, assistant professor of practice at Oregon Sea Grant and project co-principal investigator.

Richard Tankersley, vice president for Research and Graduate Studies at PSU, said the Beyond TAPPS project exemplifies the kind of public-impact research that PSU faculty excel at - work that makes a tangible difference in our communities, both in Portland and across the Pacific Northwest.

"The partnerships forged in this project, spanning academia, industry, government, and tribal communities, showcase PSU's commitment to collaborative, solutions-oriented research that addresses pressing environmental challenges," Tankersley said.