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Flowthrough Capture of Microplastics through Polyphenol‐Mediated Interfacial Interactions on Wood Sawdust
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Researchers created a plant-based water filter using wood sawdust coated with polyphenols (natural plant compounds) that captures over 99.9% of nano- and microplastics from water in a single pass. The filter works on many types and sizes of plastics and can be cleaned and reused multiple times. This bio-based approach could offer a practical, low-cost solution for removing plastic contamination from drinking water.
Nano-/microplastics accumulate in aquatic bodies and raise increasing threats to ecosystems and human health. The limitation of existing water cleanup strategies, especially in the context of nano-/microplastics, primarily arises from their complexity (morphological, compositional, and dimensional). Here, highly efficient and bio-based flowthrough capturing materials (bioCap) are reported to remove a broad spectrum of nano-/microplastics from water: polyethylene terephthalate (anionic, irregular shape), polyethylene (net neutral, irregular shape), polystyrene (anionic and cationic, spherical shape), and other anionic and spherical shaped particles (polymethyl methacrylate, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride). Highly efficient bioCap systems that adsorb the ubiquitous particles released from beverage bags are demonstrated. As evidence of removal from drinking water, the in vivo biodistribution of nano-/microplastics is profiled, confirming a significant reduction of particle accumulation in main organs. The unique advantage of phenolic-mediated multi-molecular interactions is employed in sustainable, cost-effective, and facile strategies based on wood sawdust support for the removal of challenging nano-/microplastics pollutions.
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