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Ailyn Agonia
Doha
QATAR University (QU) Research Professor Dr Adriaan Stephanus Luyt has urged residents to be more aware on responsible ways of disposing plastic items as well as the benefits of recycling.
Belonging to QU's Center for Advanced Materials, Luyt is the winner of the QU Research Excellence Award in the field of Science and Engineering. He was honoured recently during the Annual Research Forum & Exhibition 2018.
Luyt has been recognised for his research work focusing on polymers (plastics) that are biodegradable, which according to him is an initiative aimed at addressing the global environmental concerns.
In an interview with Qatar Tribune, Luyt said:"I have been working on research for many years, had a lot of students and published in a lot of international journals. As one of the winners of the QU Research Excellence Award, I am very proud because it shows me that people see what I am doing. I research on extending the life of plastics and on polymers that will degrade in an environmentally-friendly way."
"I know that they are aware in Qatar of the environmental problems caused by plastics. Unfortunately, Qatar is petrochemical-based. In this case, what we can probably do is to try whatever we can to make the plastics that we use here last longer so that we don't have to throw them away because they lose their properties as a result of UV light and heat degradation," he added.
When asked what both the Qatar government and the residents can do to contribute to the worldwide initiatives addressing plastic pollution, he commented:"If we want to make Qatar more environmentally-clean, the environment authority should consider regulations that would educate residents on disposing their plastics in a responsible way. I also think that the authority looks very strongly into recycling, but to be able to do this they would need the cooperation of all the country's residents in disposing of their plastic waste in a regulated way."
"They can also consider moving gradually from petrochemical-based plastics to biodegradable plastics, if it is not already part of their strategy. Awareness of people on this issue is very important. They should know the importance of recycling and proper segregation of their wastes," Luyt said.
Similarly, he expressed his hope of seeing other researchers carrying on with what he is doing. He also hopes to see the further advancement of research in QU as well as the creation of a unit within QU's Center for Advanced Materials that will be looking specifically into plastics and the environment.
"QU, specifically, is working hard to become one of the world renowned universities. I served on a committee in the university which specifically looked at how we can structure our research efforts so that we can make QU more relevant to the industry. I am amazed that a young university like QU already counts itself among the top 400 universities in the world," Luyt said.
"QU excelled in pushing research and recognising researchers for what they are doing. The institution motivates researchers to do more and to publish in more relevant journals. I think they succeed in many ways. As long as I am with QU, I will keep on doing my best to bring up the level of research in QU. And I hope, eventually, that the message on plastic and its impact on the environment will reach and be known to many residents," he added.
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24/06/2018
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