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Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Nanoplastics Sign in to save

Carbon nanoparticles fabricated microfilm: A potent filter for microplastics debased water

Environmental Pollution 2023 17 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 55 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
K. Prabhu, Vishnu Vardhan Sridhar, Siva Vijaykumar Tharumasivam, Sudharsan Parthasarathy, Giridharan Bupesh, Nirmal Kumar Raju, Uttam Kumar Sahoo, Anima Nanda, Konda Mani Saravanan

Summary

Researchers developed a carbon nanoparticle membrane combined with a PVDF polymer to filter microplastics from water. The nanofilm effectively removed microplastics, reduced microbial contamination, and improved water clarity. The study highlights nanofiltration as a promising low-cost approach for removing microplastics from water, with efficiencies reaching up to 95%.

Microplastics were found to be the major pollutant across the globe. Plastic microbeads, like 0.5 mm, are very small and mainly used for exfoliation. The marine species cannot distinguish between their usual food and these microbeads. Microbeads have the potential to transfer up the food chain, which may lead to consumption by humans in the end. Activated carbon from inexpensive sources has greatly interested separation systems, especially in water treatment. In that view, carbon nanoparticles were produced, combined with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer, and used as a membrane to trap the microplastic particles. UV-Vis, FTIR, TEM, and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the produced carbon nanoparticles. FT-RAMAN Spectroscopy studies, microbial viable cell count, and turbidity analysis followed the membrane preparation and post-treatment. The carbon nanoparticle fabricated nanofilm effectively eliminates the microbial count and microplastics and reduces the turbidity (0.13 NTU). This study confirms that the membrane effectively filters microplastics and other contaminants. Nowadays, nanofiltration technologies have been considered beneficial for eliminating microplastics to an efficiency of 95%. Further research is needed to determine a feasible low-cost, ecologically suitable, and effective solution to remove the microplastics in water.

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