COLUMBIA, Missouri (KY3) – Scientists at the University of Missouri have developed a new, special solvent to remove nanoplastics from water.

Nanoplastics consist of microscopically small particles whose diameter is significantly smaller than a human hair and cannot be seen with the naked eye.

“Nanoplastics can disrupt aquatic ecosystems and enter the food chain, posing risks to both wildlife and humans,” said Piyuni Ishtaweera, a recent graduate who led the study while pursuing her doctorate in nano and materials chemistry at Mizzou. “To put it simply, we are developing better ways to remove pollutants like nanoplastics from water.”

The accumulation of nanoplastics can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in humans.

Gary Baker, associate professor of chemistry, said his team has succeeded in developing a new liquid-based solution that removes more than 98% of these microscopic plastic particles from the water.

“Our strategy uses a small amount of a designer solvent to absorb plastic particles from a large volume of water,” said Gary Baker, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at Mizzou University and corresponding author of the study. “Currently, the capacity of these solvents is not well understood. In future work, we plan to determine the maximum capacity of the solvent. In addition, we will explore methods to recycle the solvents so they can be reused multiple times if needed.”

Studies show that humans absorb an amount of microplastics and nanoplastics through eating, drinking and even simply breathing, equivalent to about one credit card per week.

Baker said the next step in developing this technology is in the hands of engineers who will work to scale the process so that more than one vial can be cleaned at a time.

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