Los microplastics they have become a global problem: they are present from fish to spider webs; even the sea breeze or the peaks of the Pyrenees contain particles of this resistant material, which can take up to 450 years to decompose. And, of course, in ourselves: a recent study published in ‘Environment, Science and Technology’ indicates that we consume between 40,000 to 50,000 microplastic particles per year.
That is why different solutions are sought to eradicate these invisible enemies that, above all, are found in water (in fact, a study found microplastics in a 90% of bottled water bottles tested). There are treatments that eliminate them, but at the moment they take days. Now, a team led by researchers from RMIT University in Melbourne (Australia) has found a faster and less expensive alternative method, creating a kind of magnetic dust that ‘traps’ this harmful material, even pieces 1,000 smaller than the one it contains. detect wastewater treatment plants. The results have just been published in the ‘Chemical Engineering Journal’.
“This is a great victory for the environment and the circular economy,” he says. Nicky Eshtiaghi, lead author of the study. “The nanopillar structure that we have designed to remove this contamination, which is impossible to see but very harmful to the environment, is recycled from waste and can be used several times,” the researcher says in a statement.
How does it work?
Specifically, the authors have developed a method using iron-containing nanomaterials that attract microplastics and dissolved contaminants. Muhammad Haris, first author and doctoral student, explains that thanks to its strong component, magnets can be used to easily separate these microplastics from water. “This entire process takes an hour, compared to other methods that can take days,” Haris says.
Nasir Mahmoud, another of the authors, adds that the material has been designed to attract microplastics without creating secondary pollutants or delving into the carbon footprint. “The sorbent is prepared in such a way that it can be effectively and simultaneously removed from the water at the same time as the microplastics.”
Microplastics smaller than 5 millimeters, which can take up to 450 years to degrade, are neither detectable nor removable through conventional treatment systems, resulting in millions of tons being released into the sea each year. “This is not only harmful to aquatic life, but also has a significant negative impact on human health,” the authors note.
The following steps
Now that the team has found a cost-effective way to meet the challenge of microplastics in water, the next step is to take it to industrial manufacturing. “We are looking for collaborators to take our invention to the next steps, where we will look for its application in wastewater treatment plants,” they say.
Eshtiaghi and his colleagues have worked with a number of water utilities in Australia, including the Melbourne Water and Water Corporation in Perth on a recent Australian Research Council Liaison project to optimize sludge pumping systems.