Shinshu University Research uses Sound Waves To Capture Wastewater Microplastics

Image Courtesy of PXhere

Once washed, our clothes release microfibers that end up in rivers and oceans.

A new device may break this cycle.

According to Unep and the World Economic Forum, by 2050 there may be more plastic in the oceans than in fish and most are and will be microscopic pieces. One of the main sources of microplastics is synthetic tissues, which, every time we do laundry, release tiny fibers.

A new study  by a team of Japanese researchers –– illustrates a simple and effective way to collect plastic microfibers and microbeads from the water using sound waves.

A technique that could help capture microplastics from washing machine drains, preventing pollution from microfibres in rivers and oceans.

Anthropocene Prachi Patel recalls that microplastics have invaded rivers, lakes, seas and oceans in two ways: the degradation of larger pieces of plastic and wastewater, even those purified, since treatment plants do not represent a barrier microplastics.

And laundry is one of the big culprits for microplastic pollution in wastewater.

Our clothes are increasingly made from synthetic fibers such as acrylic, nylon and polyethylene or even with recycled plastic.

Once washed in the washing machine they release microfibers that are discharged into the wastewater.

A recent study found that even in laundry detergents there are tiny plastic microbeads.

In addition to floating in the sea for decades, microplastics end up being eaten by zooplankton, corals, plankton and fish, climbing the marine food chain to the dishes and stomachs of the humans who produced them.

The long-term effects of this plastic exposure for marine and humans are not known

The new system, designed by researchers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics at Shinshu University's Faculty of Textile And Technology Sciences, uses a piezoelectric device that converts electricity into mechanical vibrations , applying vibrating sound waves to a thin sewage channel containing plastic microspheres and microfibers.

The waves are focused on the center of the canal, which allows you to concentrate the plastic particles.

Just downstream of the piezoelectric device, the canal splits into three.

The plastic concentrated in the central channel is collected, while the cleaned water flows from the two side channels.

In laboratory tests, the Japanese system captured 95 percent of polyethylene microfibers and 99 percent of nylon microfibers.
According to Patel, "One downside is that the process is slow, but if researchers could find a way to make it faster, a device like this could be integrated into washing machine drains to filter microplastics."