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Enhancing nano and microplastics destabilization: Synergistic effects of natural mucin and conventional coagulants in water and wastewater treatment
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Researchers investigated whether combining jellyfish mucus with conventional water treatment coagulants could improve removal of micro- and nanoplastics from water. The synergistic combination achieved over 90% removal efficiency with settling times under 5 minutes, outperforming either agent alone by leveraging bridging and entrapment mechanisms.
This study investigates the synergistic effect of jellyfish mucus and commercial coagulants on the removal of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) from water. The results reveal that combining low doses of jellyfish mucus (0.8 and 2 mg L −1 ) with commonly used coagulants, such as ferric chloride (FeCl₃) and polyaluminum chlorohydrate (PAC) significantly enhances the removal efficiency of MPs and NPs (>90 %) and reduces particle settling times to < 5 minutes. Mechanistic insights demonstrate that jellyfish mucus facilitates entrapment and bridging mechanisms, which play a key role in the aggregation and removal of plastic particles. Zeta potential measurements further confirm the neutralization of particle surface charges, with optimal conditions observed at 2 mg L −1 jellyfish mucus and 2.5 mg L −1 coagulant. Additionally, the Deryagin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek theory explains these interactions, highlighting the entrapment and bridging effects for polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) and polymethyl methacrylate nanoplastics (PMMA-NPs), while a significantly higher interaction energy for carboxylate-modified PS microspheres (PS-CA-MPs) suggests the involvement of additional forces. This study underscores the promising role of jellyfish mucus-coagulant synergy in enhancing the removal of NPs and MPs from water, offering a sustainable and effective alternative to conventional water treatment technologies for plastic pollution mitigation. • Combined Jellyfish mucus and coagulants enhances nanoplastics removal from water. • Entrapment and bridging mechanisms were identified for the observed processes. • This novel approach highlights the potential of environmental remediation efforts.
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Researchers investigated how jellyfish mucus from Aurelia sp. captures nanoplastics and compared its efficiency to conventional water treatment coagulants. The study found that jellyfish mucin effectively captures polystyrene and acrylic nanoplastics from wastewater treatment plant effluent, suggesting it could serve as a sustainable, bio-based technology for removing nanoplastic contamination from water.
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This review examines how natural coagulants from plants, animals, and microbes can be used to remove microplastics from water as a greener alternative to conventional chemical treatments. These bio-based coagulants, especially when combined with nanotechnology, show promising removal rates while avoiding the toxic residues left by traditional chemical approaches.
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