News

Veni grant for Julia Möller

article_published_on_label: August 12, 2024

Dr. Julia Möller, from Soil Physics and Land Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, is awarded a prestigious Vini grant for her research on “Fate and effect of composted biodegradable plastic and its additives in agricultural soils”. The Vici grant is awarded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

Compostable plastic products are perceived as environmentally friendly. However, these compostable plastics are most likely only biodegradable under ideal laboratory conditions, which are often not found in real composting plants. Further, compostable plastics also contain chemicals that are released to the environment over time. The researchers will study if fragments from already composted compostable plastics degrade in an agricultural field, and if these fragments affect plant growth. Additionally, they will check if the chemicals released from compostable plastic products are harmful to plants and earthworms.

Veni, vidi, Vici

The Vici grant is one of the largest personal science awards in the Netherlands and, with the Veni and Vidi grants, is part of the NWO talent programme. The Vici grant is awarded to very experienced researchers who have demonstrated the ability to develop their own research path and can coach young researchers.

Cover Photo Credit: F. Kesselring, FKuR Willich