Freshwater and saltwater mesocosms

Manufacturer: P. Harloff Edelstahlzentrum Nachfolger GmbH & Co. KG / TEWISS - Technik und Wissen GmbH

Short description: The wave flume mesocosms can be used to simulate various tribological-hydrodynamic loads in aquatic environmental scenarios, such as surf zones and dynamic/static areas of low water coverage in limnic and marine waters. In addition to wave generation, other abiotic parameters such as temperature and UV irradiation can also be controlled.

Application: Replication of specific environmental scenarios for long-term experiments, including the degradation behavior of macroscopic plastic samples. The availability of four wave flume mesocosms allows the simultaneous investigation of the influences of environmental and material parameters, such as UV irradiation, salt content, or polymer type, on degradation behavior. The closed test environment allows access to both the material samples and the aqueous medium for follow-up investigations (e.g., microplastic analyses).

Funded by the ‘European Regional Development Fund (EFRE) as part of the Union's response to the COVID-19 pandemic’ and with the participation of the state of Lower Saxony for the project with the acronym ‘SkalAb’ (Multi-scale analysis of aquatic degradation mechanisms of polymer materials).

Manufacturer: -4H- JENA engineering

Short description: The tidal range mesocosms simulate the periodic drying and wetting of plastic and other test specimens resulting from, for example, tides in coastal areas. In addition to the ebb and flow rhythm, other abiotic parameters such as temperature and UV radiation can also be controlled.

Application: Replication of specific environmental scenarios for long-term experiments, including the degradation behavior of macroscopic plastic samples in an ebb and flow scenario. This is characterized by the periodic drying and re-wetting of the samples and the surrounding environmental matrix. The availability of six tidal range mesocosms allows the simultaneous investigation of the influences of environmental and material parameters, such as UV radiation, salinity, or polymer type, on degradation behavior. The closed test chamber allows access to both the material samples and the surrounding environmental matrix for follow-up investigations (e.g., microplastic analyses).

Funded by the ‘European Regional Development Fund (EFRE) as part of the Union's response to the COVID-19 pandemic’ and with the participation of the state of Lower Saxony for the project with the acronym ‘SkalAb’ (Multi-scale analysis of aquatic degradation mechanisms of polymer materials).

Manufacturer: Beckmann GmbH & Co. KG

Short description: The outdoor basin is operated throughout the year at the IKK site in Garbsen and is exposed to natural weather conditions and microorganisms. It can be filled with fresh or salt water and is used to examine the behavior of samples in a realistic natural environment under documented conditions.

Application: Plastic test specimens, as well as other samples, can be placed in the outdoor basin to examine their degradation behavior under natural conditions in long-term tests. Environmental parameters such as temperature, light exposure, introduction of microorganisms, etc. are subject to natural fluctuations and cannot be controlled during the experimental process. The aqueous medium used, on the other hand, can be freely selected at the start of the test and can be composed, for example, of real environmental samples with realistic microorganism communities or other media with defined water values.