MELBOURNE, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia have developed a reusable magnetic water treatment material that rapidly removes micro- and nanoplastics and some PFAS, pollutants of growing environmental and health concern.
It builds on the team's 2022 microplastics-removal technology, extending performance to much smaller particles and more complex wastewater, according to a statement released by Australia's RMIT University on Thursday.
In lab testing, the material removed more than 95 percent of micro- and nanoplastics, including particles as small as 30 nanometers, within one hour. It also removed more than 95 percent of tested contaminants, including mercury, chromium, copper, dyes and ibuprofen, with about 80 percent removed in the first 15 minutes.
Researchers said the technology fills a key gap in large-scale nanoplastics removal, while tests also showed early potential for removing large molecules of PFAS.
The material was tested in industrial laundry wastewater, a major source of microplastic pollution from synthetic fibers, where it removed more than 88 percent of polyester microfibers along with dyes, while maintaining performance despite surfactants and organic matter.
"It worked in realistic water conditions, handled mixed pollutants and could be recovered efficiently," said RMIT Associate Professor Nasir Mahmood, co-lead researcher of the study published in Chemical Engineering Journal.
The technology showed potential for textile and industrial wastewater, municipal systems and stormwater treatment, with costs estimated to be about 75 percent lower than earlier versions, according to the team. ■