To combat the hazardous microplastics in water, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) designed a sustainable hydrogel to remove them from water.
Microplastics pose a massive threat to human health and these tiny plastic debris can enter our bodies through the water we drink and increase the risk of illnesses, Bengaluru-based IISc noted in a press release on Friday, April 12.
These environmental hazard particles are found even in remote areas like polar ice caps and deep ocean trenches and endanger aquatic and terrestrial lifeforms.
“To combat this emerging pollutant, researchers at the IISc designed a sustainable hydrogel to remove microplastics from water. The material has a unique intertwined polymer network that can bind the contaminants and degrade them using ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation,” the release added.
Previously, scientists have tried using filtering membranes to remove microplastics, however, the membranes can become clogged with these tiny particles, rendering them unsustainable. Instead, the IISc team led by Suryasarathi Bose, a Professor at the Department of Materials Engineering, decided to turn to 3D hydrogels.
The novel hydrogel developed by the team consists of three different polymer layers ‘chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol and polyaniline’ intertwined together, making 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 degrade the microplastics, as stated in a report by PTI.
“We wanted to make a material that is more sustainable and can be used repetitively,” explained Bose.
