CLEVER STUDENTS INVENT AFFORDABLE WAY TO FILTER MICROPLASTICS FROM DRINKING WATER

At the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Ohio last spring, high school student Mia Heller was given a special honor. The $500 award, which was given out by the Patent and Trademark Office Society (PTOS), honored Heller's accomplishment in water filtration technology, which concentrated on eliminating microplastics from water without incurring a significant financial burden.

Ferrofluid, a carrier liquid that contains magnetic particles, was a component of Heller's filtering system, according to her research report. A ferrofluid-based method provides a "cost-effective, energy-efficient, and sustainable solution" to microplastics and their growing intrusion into drinking water, in contrast to conventional filtering systems, many of which are expensive and depend on chemical treatments.

According to Heller, a student at Virginia's Mountain Vista Governor's School, "microplastics have been identified from the Mariana Trench to Mount Everest, and from the human brain to the placenta of unborn fetuses." "Underprivileged people are disproportionately affected by microplastic exposure, which is associated with an increased risk of cancer, neurological illness, and hormonal disturbances."

Heller demonstrated a 3D-printed device at the conference that injected a ferrofluid based on canola oil into water tainted with microplastics. After that, the combination was run through a multilayer filter and magnetic separator to separate the ferrofluid and eliminate microplastics, cleaning the water and recycling roughly 87% of the ferrofluid. Remarkably, Heller also discovered that the prototype was able to eliminate about 96% of the microplastics from the polluted water.

According to Heller, "the system created offers a possible alternative to conventional filtration methods and could reverse the tide on the way water pollution is treated in locations experiencing challenges to clean water availability."

Such a project is more important than ever in a time of extreme pollution and climate catastrophe. According to a recent Stanford University report, microplastics have been discovered in 1,300 species to date, including humans. In addition, between 10 and 40 million metric tons of these plastic particles are thought to be released into the environment year; if present trends continue, this amount could easily double by 2040. Stanford Medicine pediatrics professor Desiree LaBeaud urged everyone to cut back on plastic use as much as possible in order to safeguard their health, particularly with regard to single-use plastics.

Heller received top honors at the Virginia Piedmont Regional Science Fair in Charlottesville this past March in addition to her $500 reward from PTOS. To learn more about Heller's acclaimed "Self-Recycling System for Microplastic Removal," go to the ISEF landing page for the project.