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Study after study has revealed microplastics in every aspect of our daily environments and lives. Babies are confronted by them in the womb, and they literally rain down from the sky.
Although there are no long-term studies as far as their effects in the human body, they are largely considered to be a concern. given that we know the effects of plastic on human organs is generally negative.
So, finding out that native, common plants are able to clean them out of water is a huge, exciting find.
Microplastics are not only harmful to humans, they are also damaging to aquatic environments all over the world. They’re water-insoluble, solid polymers that are less than 5mm in size, and result from the fragmentation of larger plastic litter or other human interference with natural waterways.
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As of now, there are no non-toxic ways to remove microplastics from water.
Researchers in Tarelton State University’s new paper found that extracts from okra and fenugreek plants attracted and removed up to 90% of plastics from all types of water.
Okra, fenugreek, and tamarind extracts, though, stick to microplastics and cause them to clump together, making them easy to separate from the water at that point.
They created the extracts by soaking sliced okra pods and blended fenugreek seeds into separate containers of water, then removing the dissolved extracts and drying them into powders.
The powders contain polysaccharides, which are natural polymers.
They tested the extract powders in pure water spiked with microplastics and found that the most effective ratio was one gram of powder in a quart of water. Dried okra extract removed 67% of microplastics, while the fenugreek removed a whopping 93%, both within an hour.
A mixture of the powders removed around 70% of the microplastics in just 30 minutes.
After controlled lab experiments, the scientists collected samples from bodies of water around Texas. Okra worked best on salt water, removing 80% of the microplastics, while fenugreek removed 80%-90% of microplastics in groundwater. A combination of the two extracts removed 77% of microplastics in freshwater sources.
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Dr. Srinivasan, the lead author, thinks the difference in efficiency has to do with the size and shapes of microplastics in various samples.
“Polyacrylamide is currently used to remove contaminants during wastewater treatment, but okra and fenugreek extracts could serve as biodegradable and nontoxic alternatives. Utilizing these plant-based extracts in water treatment will remove microplastics and other pollutants without introducing additional toxic substances to the treated water, thus reducing long-term health risks to the population.”
This sounds like a step in the right direction when it comes to cleaning microplastics from the environment.
That said, it’s going to be a very, very big job.
If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about why we should be worried about the leak in the bottom of the ocean.