MU scientists create solution that removes microscopic plastic from drinking water - Missourinet

by Anthony Morabith | Oct 14, 2024

Gary Baker, an associate professor in the University of Missouri’s Department of Chemistry, looks at a bottle of a new liquid-based solution that eliminates more than 98% of microscopic plastic particles from water. (Photo used with permission by Sam O’Keefe)

University of Missouri-Columbia scientists are battling a health danger so small that it’s invisible to the naked eye – nanoplastics. They are tiny pieces of plastic, often smaller than dust particles, which can be found in water sources, including bottled water.

Chemistry professor Gary Baker was able to create a new liquid-based solution that eliminates more than 98% of the tiny particles.

“We found that certain of these types of eutectic solvents are extremely efficient at removing these nano-scale plastics from water,” he told Missourinet. “Essentially, we can quantitatively remove the nanoplastics from water using these as extracting media.”

The solution uses water-repelling solvents that absorb plastic particles from large volumes of water. It provides a “sponge” to attract the microscopic bits of plastic.

He said the possibilities are endless for what this can do for water in the future.

“You’ll have to sort of apply it in water treatment plants,” he said. “You’ll have to scale up and find a way to more efficiently immobilize the eutectic fluid so it can be reused so it becomes more economically viable. Those are sort of engineering strategies that we’re looking into.”

Nanoplastics pose health risks to humans such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Baker explained just how deadly the microscopic particles can be.

“The recent work published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that there was a greater likelihood for those who have evidence for these plastics in their plaques were more likely to have incidents of heart attack or stroke or die from any cause within the next three years,” Baker said.

Baker said the liquid-based solution paves the way for future development of advanced water purification technology.

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