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Almond-shell-derived Fe-La biochar enables magnetic capture and pyrolysis-assisted conversion of nanoplastics
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Scientists made a filter from almond shells treated with iron and a rare-earth metal that can pull tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) out of water — then be pulled out itself using a magnet and reused by heating it up, instead of just creating more plastic-laden waste. In tests, it captured plastic particles effectively even after being reused five times, offering a promising and more sustainable way to clean nanoplastics from water before they end up in what we drink. Since nanoplastics are small enough to potentially enter our bloodstream and organs, better removal methods like this could reduce a source of long-term human exposure to these contaminants
Nanoplastics (NPs) are emerging aquatic contaminants with high mobility, colloidal stability, and potential biological accessibility. However, many existing treatment methods mainly transfer captured NPs into a secondary solid phase, leaving NP-bearing residues that still require further handling. To address this issue, Fe-La-modified magnetic almond-shell biochar was prepared as a regenerable adsorbent that integrates nanoplastics capture, magnetic recovery, and pyrolysis-assisted regeneration. Among the prepared materials, Fe/La@MBC-1:1 exhibited the best overall adsorption performance toward polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs), with a Langmuir maximum capacity of 555 mg/g. Stable removal behavior was maintained under varying water chemistry conditions and in real-water matrices. Additional tests further showed effective removal at lower PSNPs concentrations and across different particle sizes, surface functionalities, and selected nanoplastic types. The adsorption behavior was associated with enhanced interfacial interactions between Fe/La@MBC-1:1 and nanoplastics, including electrostatic attraction and van der Waals forces. After five adsorption-pyrolysis regeneration cycles, the removal efficiency remained at 85% in batch adsorption and above 70% after the fifth regeneration cycle in flow-through column operation. These results indicate that Fe/La@MBC-1:1 provides a feasible biochar-based route for integrated nanoplastics capture, magnetic recovery, and pyrolysis-assisted regeneration.
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