Indian Institute of Science has created a hydrogel that can remove microplastics from water

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science have just published a report that has incredible implications for the future of our oceans – and direct implications for our health.

The IIS researchers created a hydrogel that can remove microplastics from water. Their creation binds microplastics in a unique interwoven polymer network. This new mass then ensures that they are broken down using UV light irradiation.

Even better, the microplastics-cleaning hydrogel can be reused multiple times and can bind to multiple types of contaminants.

The best part?

Once it is no longer efficient at capturing microplastic particles, the hydrogel can be reused to remove heavy metals from polluted water.

Also read: These twenty companies produce more than half of the world’s plastic waste

Phys.org explains:

“Scientists have previously tried using filter membranes to remove microplastics. However, the membranes can become clogged by these small particles, making them unsustainable. Instead, the IISc team led by Suryasarathi Bose, professor in the Department of Materials Science, decided to turn to 3D hydrogels.

The new hydrogel developed by the team consists of three different polymer layers – chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol and polyaniline – interwoven together, creating an Interpenetrating Polymer Network (IPN) architecture. The team infused this matrix with nanoclusters of a material called copper substitute polyoxometalate (Cu-POM).

These nanoclusters are catalysts that can use UV light to break down the microplastics. The combination of the polymers and nanoclusters resulted in a strong hydrogel with the ability to adsorb and degrade large amounts of microplastics.”

In their tests, the scientists tested two different types of common microplastics. Their hydrogel was able to remove between 93% and 95% of contaminants and could withstand up to five cycles of microplastic removal before losing efficiency.

*Main image by 5Gyres, courtesy of Oregon State University, via Flickr

Also read: Scientists at Rutgers are developing a spray-on, plant-based coating that can replace plastic on food