First, let’s start with the problem. We can see lots of plastic waste everywhere. Containers that are still not all biodegradable are everywhere, but the hidden plastic waste, often in waterways and particularly the ocean are massive, is extensive and very difficult to remove. Kristin Toussant, writing for the June 8, 2021 FastCompany.com, notes that the mass of waste is so vast that some refer to that accumulation as the “seventh continent.” Like that massive floating Pacific Garbage Patch as the size of medium-sized country. But there is so much more. She adds:
“A [report] from Plastic Odyssey, a France-based project to reduce plastic pollution, busts common myths about the ocean’s plastic problem. Take that iconic image in your mind of plastic floating on top of the waves. One myth is that the ocean can be cleaned up by collecting that floating trash; but that would make just a small dent. In reality, less than 1% of ocean plastic floats on the surface.
“That doesn’t mean there isn’t plastic floating on the sea that needs to be cleaned up. According to a 2019 study, there are 1.13 million tons of plastic floating on the ocean’s surface. But that represents less than 0.6% of total plastic pollution—a small fraction of the 198 million tons of plastic that have been dumped into the ocean since the 1950s. Where’s the rest? Scientists aren’t sure, but it could have been pushed back to the coasts, sunk to the bottom, or dissolved into microparticles.
“Another myth has to do with where all that plastic originates from. If you watched Seaspiracy, for example, you might think the fishing industry is the main culprit. But most plastic that ends up in the ocean comes from trash originating on land, specifically the coasts. Marine sources of plastic pollution (of which fishing is just one) contribute 1.75 million tons of plastic per year, a small amount compared to the 9 million tons of land-based coastal pollution that enters the ocean annually.”
OK, problem part 2: “Ever since plastic production boomed after WWII, billions of tons of plastic waste have accumulated in the environment. Microplastics, in particular, can now be found everywhere, from Arctic snow and table salt to bottled and tap water—and our lungs. A 2017 study by nonprofit Orb showed that 94% of tap water in the U.S. is contaminated with microplastics… Exactly how bad microplastics are for our health remains unclear, but scientists believe it’s cause for concern.” Elissaveta M. Brandon, writing for the June 30th FastCompany.com.
Now for some solutions. First to remove plastics and other “forever chemicals” from bodies of water. As presented by a June 21st report from the Yale University School of Engineering and Applied Science: “Once a water source is contaminated, it can be costly and difficult to remediate. Natural remedies can take hundreds of years and still may not successfully remove all the dangerous contaminants. When it comes to global public health issues such as this, the need for new and safe solutions is urgent. John Fortner is designing solutions from scratch to do just that.
“Fortner, associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering, leads one of the few labs in the U.S. investigating the intersection between materials science and environmental engineering. There, materials synthesized directly in the lab, whether magnetic nanoparticles, graphene-based composites, or hyperthermic catalysts, are carefully engineered to treat contaminants in water sources…
“To address these ‘forever chemicals,’ Fortner’s lab, working with Kurt Pennell from Brown University and Natalie Capiro from Auburn University, has engineered superparamagnetic nanoparticles, which are specially coated with sorbents. They discovered that when these engineered nanoparticles are dispersed in a polluted source, contaminants are attracted to specified functional groups on the molecule. The particles, along with the contaminants, can then be collected using a magnet field and the concentrated PFAS [perfluoroalkyl contaminants] can be removed. This strategy allows for very large volumes of media to be managed in a targeted and energy-efficient manner.
“‘It's amazing,’ Fortner said. ‘We can sorb a significant amount of PFAS onto one particle and simply use a magnet to remove it. It's a nice way to go ‘fishing’ to remove PFAS, or other contaminants, from a polluted water source.’” Not a bad technology although pretty early in development. There have been mechanized efforts – some by autonomous boats (left above) in lakes and rivers and others in open ocean corralling and removing surface waste (right above) – but there is so much more below the surface. And as for those nasty nanoparticles that wind up inside our bodies, there are mechanical filtering systems at work, but there just might be promising organic solution that is even more effective.
“High up in the Andes mountains, 12,000 feet above sea level, lies one of the world’s most unique ecosystems. Known as Páramo, the landscape is responsible for 70% of Colombia’s fresh water; in part, thanks to moss species that trap moisture from the fog, rain, and melting glaciers; store it in the soil; then release it gradually to the lowlands. When the water passes through the moss, it’s so clean it’s considered safe to drink…
“Earlier this year, a group of design students at the University of the Andes in Bogota visited Páramo as part of a master’s course on biodesign. Drawing inspiration from the filtering properties of the moss, they designed a moss filter that can capture about 80 grams of microplastics from tap water—or the equivalent of 16 credit cards. Titled MustGo, the project just won the annual Biodesign Challenge Summit. Still in its early stages, the concept joins the ranks of many filters designed specially to filter microplastics, albeit not with natural materials.” FastCompany.com. So many manmade environmental problems. While we are a long way from repairing the damage we have inflicted on the world, we are slowly figuring out how to make the planet a little more livable.
I’m Peter Dekom, and there are a whole lot of people, who need more resources and support along with commonsense efforts from all of us, developing solutions that can and do work to remove the toxic waste we have deposited… everywhere.
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