Adsorbing nanoplastics through high-resilience lignin–polyurethane foam

Summary

Researchers developed a lignin-infused polyurethane foam that removes nanoplastics from water using two mechanisms: physical trapping in the foam's pores and chemical bonding between the plastic particles and lignin's molecular structure. This offers a promising, plant-derived approach to filtering tiny plastic particles from contaminated water. As nanoplastics are increasingly found in drinking water sources and human tissue, materials that can capture them efficiently are an important part of the solution.