Microplastics. We have found it in the Arctic Ocean and even frozen in ice. The Mariana Trench, the deepest part of all our oceans, is polluted with plastic waste. Mount Everest is contaminated with microplastics. Our drinking water and food, especially processed food in single-use packaging, is contaminated with microplastics. Recent studies have found microplastics in our blood, lungs, liver, and kidneys… It has even been found in the placenta of unborn babies.

Studies on the harmful health effects of microplastics in the human body have only recently begun. Respiratory, gastrointestinal, hormonal, developmental and reproductive problems, and even cancer are increasingly linked to the consumption and inhalation of microplastics. Microplastics and nanoplastics are unavoidable. But now researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a relatively simple and safe method to extract over 98% of nanoplastic particles from water.

Sam O’Keefe on the University of Missouri

Using nontoxic, hydrophobic natural ingredients, researchers were able to create a liquid solvent that floats on the surface of water like oil. When emulsified in water and then separated, the solvent floats back to the surface, taking more than 98% of the nanoplastic contaminants with it, where they can be easily skimmed off the water. Due to its hydrophobic nature, there is little risk of further contamination from the eutectic solvent remaining behind.

“Our strategy uses a small amount of a designer solvent to absorb plastic particles from a large amount of water,” says Gary Baker, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at Mizzou University. “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 that they can be reused multiple times if needed.”

Sam O’Keefe on the University of Missouri

We currently have a few options for removing microplastics from our drinking water, depending on their size. Simple activated carbon filters – like the ones you’ll find in a Britta – aren’t specifically made to remove them, but can remove anything larger than five microns quite effectively. Multi-stage sediment filters with a pore size of one micron are quite good. Reverse osmosis, which involves forcing water through pores as small as one ten-thousandth of a micron, is one of the best methods for removing any kind of contaminant from water – but these clog and need to be cleaned regularly. Distilling water is almost 100% effective, but it also removes all the healthy minerals our bodies need.

This new approach adds another arrow to the quiver and works in both fresh and salt water.

The team’s study was published in ACS Applied Engineering Materials.

Source: University of Missouri