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Biomimetic design of a microplastic-absorbing robot for recycling detection application in aquatic environments
Summary
Researchers designed a biomimetic aquatic robot inspired by the filtration mechanism of sabellid worms to collect and detect microplastics smaller than 100 micrometers from water. The robot mimics the feather-like crown structure these worms use for efficient particle capture, targeting the smallest and most challenging microplastic particles. The study proposes this bio-inspired approach as a potential tool for both environmental cleanup and monitoring of microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems.
Microplastic pollution in global aquatic ecosystems poses an imminent threat to both ecological integrity and human wellbeing. These minuscule particles (<5 mm), derived from anthropogenic activities, accumulate organic pollutants and heavy metals, permeating the food chain and triggering reproductive abnormalities and endocrine disruption in organisms. Particles with diameters smaller than 100 m are particularly insidious, owing to their diminutive size, which facilitates greater bioaccumulation while rendering them significantly more challenging to collect and detect. Drawing inspiration from the highly efficient filtration mechanism of sabellid worms, this study proposes the design of an aquatic microplastic adsorption robot that mimics the feather-like radiolar crown structure of these organisms. The robot incorporates a flexible polymeric vibrating membrane system, a solid monolithic magnetic porous polymer material (PDVB-FeO), and underwater adsorption suction cups to achieve efficient capture of minute microplastics (diameters less than 100 m). Post-collection, the adsorption module enables rapid desorption, thereby facilitating facile onshore analysis and detection. The authors adopted computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods to develop a fluid-solid coupling model, simulating five water environments with varying flow velocities: 0.05 m/s, 0.07 m/s, 0.09 m/s, 0.2 m/s, and 0.5 m/s. The results validated the robotic system's in-water performance, revealing low energy consumption and favorable stability (data). This design offers a scalable technical solution for achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14) target.