Chinese scientists find a way to effectively remove plastic contaminants in water

WUHAN -- Small plastic particles in water have become one of the most concerning consumer pollutants due to their pervasive presence in water sources. A Chinese team has developed a new strategy to remove those microplastics that adversely affect health.

The study published on Saturday in the journal Science Advances described a new reusable and biodegradable foam that can absorb microplastics in water with an efficiency of up to 99.8 percent in its first use.

The researchers from Wuhan University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology employed a sustainable fibrous foam made of chitin from squid bone and cellulose from cotton.

The foam has a porous structure that can attract and interact with diverse microplastics commonly found in electronics, food packaging, textiles, and other industrial products.

The team evaluated the foam's performance using samples from four real-world water sources -- irrigation water, lake water, seawater and pond water -- to see if the foam would work in water found in a natural setting.

The foam absorbed nearly 100 percent of microplastics in its first cycles in samples, and the removal rates of this biopolymer-based material exceeded 95 percent after five cycles, demonstrating its good reusability.

According to the study, the material's adsorptive capacity remains basically unaffected by inorganic particles, heavy metals, organic pollutants, and microorganisms in water.

"Microplastics entering terrestrial and aquatic habitats will continuously increase for thousands of years due to the alarming volumes of plastic waste in the environment," said Deng Hongbing from Wuhan University, the study's corresponding author.

The study suggests that biomass materials could be a cost-effective solution for tackling the intricate problem of microplastic contamination in water, said Deng.

The team has already applied for a patent for this technology, hoping to bring it into real-world water treatment or home water purifiers in the near future.