They may be tiny, but microplastics pose an enormous threat to our world. However, one new study has found a potential breakthrough method for removing them from wastewater.
It’s hard to overstate the scope of the problem. An estimated 2.7 million tons of microplastics seeped into the environment in 2020, according to the United Nations Environment Programme, and that annual number is set to double by 2040.
After being shed from larger plastics, microplastic particles linger in our environments and accumulate in places from our coral reefs to our internal organs.
Their presence has been linked to health risks, including impaired immune systems, cell damage, reproductive risks, respiratory issues, certain cancers, and even death, according to survey research from Stanford University. They can also carry other toxic pollutants into both bodies and the environment, including heavy metals and pesticides.
Scientists have been hard at work developing several approaches to suppress microplastics’ impact, but many of them face obstacles. Specifically, teams that are working on solutions for water-borne microplastics have encountered an issue with particles accumulating too deep for them to reach.
But one team of researchers is changing the game by bringing the particles to the surface.
Their study, which was published in the Nature Communications journal, used a buoyancy-driven hydrogel as a “self-regulating shuttle for autonomous seek and destroy of microplastics.”
In simpler terms, this means that their engineered material is able to collect microplastics at depth and bring them to the surface, where they can be treated. Even better, it does so autonomously, cycling between deeper and surface waters due to its own chemical properties and capture and release of gas.
The result, the study explains, is a “self-regulating purification system.”
And while the team initially researched the hydrogel’s efficacy at transporting microplastics, they emphasized that its basic principles could be harnessed for use in remediating other environmental threats.
“This shuttle represents a broadly adaptable system for sustainable pollutant removal and environmental remediation,” the researchers wrote, saying it “opens new pathways.”
While scientists are hard at work absorbing and remediating existing microplastics, it’s also critical that corporations dramatically lower their production of new plastics. Companies including Coca-Cola and Nestlé routinely top lists of the world’s biggest plastic producers.
And as consumers, we can use our voices — and our wallets — to incentivize brands to be sustainable and circular, rather than wasteful. And for your own health’s sake, opting for plastic-free options wherever possible is always a smart idea.
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