Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IIS) have developed an innovative hydrogel that can effectively remove up to 95% of microplastic pollution from water.

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that enter the food chain, disrupt ecosystems and pose a potential threat to human health. This urgent issue demands effective strategies to curb microplastic pollution and minimise its devastating consequences.

While traditional approaches rely on membrane filtration, which can easily clog-up with microplastics, researchers at IIS, under Professor Suryasarathi Bose from the department of materials engineering explored a promising alternative - 3D hydrogels.

Lead researcher, Soumi Dutta, Indian Institute of Science “Along with treatment or removal of microplastics, another major problem is detection, because these are very small particles, you cannot see them with the naked eye.”

To solve this problem, the researchers added a fluorescent dye to the microplastics to track how much was being adsorbed and degraded by the hydrogel under different conditions. “We checked the removal of microplastics at different pH levels of water, different temperatures, and different concentrations of microplastics,” explains Dutta.

The next steps involve collaboration to design a scalable device for widespread deployment to mitigate microplastic pollution in various water sources.

Professor Suryasarathi Bose explained, "We wanted to make a material that is more sustainable and can be used repetitively."

Bose explained the hydrogel maintains high efficiency for up to five microplastic removal cycles before the used hydrogel can be repurposed into carbon nanomaterials for removing harmful heavy metals like hexavalent chromium from contaminated water.

Looking ahead, the researchers intend to collaborate with partners to design a scalable device capable of widespread deployment for the purpose of mitigating microplastic pollution in diverse water sources.