On 24 November 2024, Hanne Diels received the Day of Science photo contest award as part of the Day of Science (Dag van de Wetenschap) event held in the Zoo of Antwerp. This marked the first-ever edition of the contest which allowed researchers to showcase their work through photographs. Visitors had the opportunity to vote for their favorite image.
Hanne Diels' research focuses on transformation of plastic pellets in the port of Antwerp.
Did you know that most plastics are made from oil? Pumped up, transported by ship to the port and transformed into tiny granules, plastic pellets. Despite many efforts, plastic pellets get lost to the environment and pose a risk to all living things. This picture consists of stereomicroscopic images of plastic pellets recovered in the Antwerp port and at various locations on the Scheldt riverbank. Compared to a handful of new pellets, the images show that pellets transform during their almost endless journey through the (aquatic) environment. The journey causes them to change colour, crack, break down into smaller micro- or nanoplastics or to be possible carriers of all kinds of substances, including toxic substances. Birds or fish mistaking the pellet for food, wrongly feel satiated and run the risk of toxic substances, released additives, micro or nanoplastics being absorbed by the body and reaching the organs through the blood.