#microplastic removal

[seosanskritiias]

Hydrogel developed by IISc to remove Microplastics from water

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has recently developed an innovative hydrogel that can effectively remove and degrade mic

[thoughtlessarse]

Want to remove microplastics from water? Try brewing it for a cup of tea or coffee! Research reported in Environmental Science & Technology

Nano- and microplastics are seemingly everywhere — water, soil and the air. While many creative strategies have been attempted to get rid of these plastic bits, one unexpectedly effective solution for cleaning up drinking water, specifically, might be as simple as brewing a cup of tea or coffee. As reported in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters, boiling and filtering calcium-containing tap water could help remove nearly 90% of the nano- and microplastics present. Contamination of water supplies with nano- and microplastics (NMPs), which can be as small as one thousandth of a millimeter in diameter or as large as 5 millimeters, has become increasingly common. The effects of these particles on human health are still under investigation, though current studies suggest that ingesting them could affect the gut microbiome. Some advanced drinking water filtration systems capture NMPs, but simple, inexpensive methods are needed to substantially help reduce human plastic consumption. So, Zhanjun Li, Eddy Zeng and colleagues wanted to see whether boiling could be an effective method to help remove NMPs from both hard and soft tap water.

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The harder the water, the better the results, so that means Scotland and parts of Ireland will not benefit much. It's the calcium carbonate (limescale) that removes the microplastics.

Oh, and if you make tea with teabags using that boiled water, you're also added more microplastics.