Did you know that jellyfish will help us fight microplastics?

Pollution of seas and coastal areas resulting from the presence of microplastics poses a serious threat to the environment. The EU-funded GoJelly project aims to address these issues simultaneously by developing, testing and promoting an innovative solution.

The GoJelly project focuses on creating a prototype TRL 5-6 microplastic filter using jellyfish slime as a raw material. This solution will effectively remove microplastic pollution from seas and coastal areas. In addition, it will create employment opportunities for commercial fishermen, generate valuable by-products and provide resources for the food and feed industry as well as organic farming. GoJelly prototype products will be tested and demonstrated in three different European seas (Norwegian, Baltic and Mediterranean) by a range of stakeholders, including industrial partners.

Using one problem to solve another is the main idea of ​​the GoJelly project. This initiative has received financial support from the European Union since the beginning of 2018. Its main goal is to create an innovative filter that would bind microplastic particles in sewage treatment plants, eliminating those that were not removed in the standard recycling process.

“The mucus secreted by jellyfish acts like glue on plastic particles,” says the project leader. Therefore, a team of scientists came up with the idea of ​​using this process as an effective filter.

The result will be less plastic in the ocean and therefore more jobs for commercial fishermen outside the jellyfish harvest season.

Source: https://gojelly.eu/about/ .