Scientists Discover New Innovative Techniques To Combat Microplastics In Water
As microplastics continue to threaten aquatic ecosystems and human health, scientists from across the globe have been developing innovative methods to address microplastic pollution in water.
These novel techniques, which incorporate artificial proteins, natural plant compounds, wood dust, and advanced porous materials into filtration systems, have shown promise in efficiently removing microplastics from water sources.
Using New Artificial Proteins
Scientists and research groups from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS), the Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry of the CSIC (ICP-CSIC), and the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) created new artificial proteins to reduce polyethylene terephthalate (PET) particles.
According to Laura Fernández López, a PhD student from ICP-CSIC, these new proteins have two variants. One degrades PET microplastics and nanoplastics, and the other breaks them down into components needed for recycling.
The team selected the strawberry anemone Actinia fragacea defense protein, which “functions as a cellular drill to open pores” but cannot disintegrate PET particles. Through protein engineering, they enhanced it by adding three amino acids capable of cutting smaller PET particles.
Then, they developed a pore-like structure that mimics the PETase enzyme found in Idionella sakaiensis, the bacteria capable of degrading PET particles. As a result, these protein nanopores allow water to pass through and, when anchored on membranes, degrade micro and nanoplastics during filtration.
Manuel Ferrer, a research professor at the ICP-CSIC, emphasized how they intend to use machine learning to address plastic pollution:
“What we are looking for is to combine the potential of proteins provided by nature and machine learning with supercomputers to produce new designs that allow us to achieve a healthy zero-plastics environment."
Using Tannins-Wood Sawdust Filter
Scientists at the University of British Columbia’s BioProducts Institute in Canada developed a new method capable of trapping up to 99.9 percent of microplastics in water. This novel technique, called bioCap, integrates natural plant compounds known as tannins with wood dust to create a formidable and sustainable filter.
Dr. Orlando Rojas, the institute’s scientific director and professor, said their goal is to create a cost-effective solution for homes and municipal treatment systems. They also aimed to devise a filtration method that can avoid exacerbating the existing state of microplastic pollution:
"Our filter, unlike plastic filters, does not contribute to further pollution as it uses renewable and biodegradable materials: tannic acids from plants, bark, wood and leaves, and wood sawdust—a forestry byproduct that is both widely available and renewable."
Dr. Rojas’s team analyzed small plastic particles broken down from popular tea bags made of polypropylene. They discovered that based on the type of plastic, their bioCap method managed to filter 95.2% to 99.9% of plastic particles.
To further assess the efficacy of their filter, they tested it on mouse models. They administered unfiltered water to one group of mice, while another received water filtered using the tannic acid-wood dust filter.
Upon examination, the team discovered that the organs of the mice administered with filtered water registered lower amounts of microplastics.
The bioCap experiment, which remains a laboratory setup as of Q3 2023, became possible through collaborations with other scientists from the UBC and Sichuan University in China.
Using Covalent Triazine Framework
Researchers at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in South Korea created a new water purification system. It can reduce microplastics and other pollutants by at least 99.9%.
This new system stands out from existing water purification systems because it uses a porous material called a covalent triazine framework (CFT). This material has high adsorption efficiency, perfect for removing phenolic microplastics and volatile organic compounds from water.
Another advantage of using a CFT is it remains effective even after multiple uses, unlike carbon-based porous materials. Not only do they have a slow adsorption rate, but they also require excessive amounts of thermal energy during recycling.
Moreover, producing the CFT material is more economical, making this water purification solution more accessible to people.
“We expect that it will be a universal technology with high economic efficiency that can purify contaminated water and supply drinking water even in areas where there is no power supply,” said Prof. Park Chi-Young of DGIST.
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Sources:
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html
https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-artificial-protein-capable-degrading.html
https://news.ubc.ca/2023/08/16/microplastic-pollution-plants-could-be-the-answer/
https://futurism.com/the-byte/organic-device-filters-microplastics
https://inhabitat.com/this-water-filter-system-can-remove-nearly-all-microplastics/