The ocean is ridden with trash. While groups of people are out there actively trying to clean out the once pristine waters, they can do very little with microplastics. These pollutants can’t simply be removed with fine nets and hooks. Something more needs to be done.
It’s time to do something to save the creatures that live in oceans and other bodies of water. Scientists have been researching for the perfect way to bring the waters back to its former glory. Many experts say that acoustic waves could be the perfect answer.
While further research has yet to be made, the best way to filter out microplastics from polluted water could be done through acoustic waves. This is the new solution to cleaning up the world’s oceans. New research suggests how effective this method may be.
These dangerous microplastics are released into the environment every single day. These come in different forms such as cosmetics, clothing, industrial processes, and plastic products such as packaging, which eventually break down naturally. While some stay on land, many of the plastic pollutants find their way into rivers and oceans. As a result, they put the marine life in the area in danger.
Many have found ways to filter out and remove these particles from water. While they have achieved a certain level of success in doing so, the task isn’t easy. It also takes time to do it. Hence, the use of acoustic waves may be the perfect solution to this somewhat nearly impossible task.
Dr Dhany Arifianto from the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember in Surabaya, Indonesia, successfully created a filtration prototype that made use of acoustic waves. He then showcased his new method and its data at the Meeting of the 181st Acoustical Society of America in Seattle. The whole event was made to show and exhibit the latest research about the science of sound.
Dr Arifianto and his team of experts had used two speakers to create the acoustic waves. The sound was strong enough to create a force that produced waves that had separated the microplastics from the water. This was made possible by creating pressure on a tube of inflowing water.
The tube designed was split into three channels. The microplastic particles the wave separated are pressed towards the center. The clean water, on the other hand, flowed towards the two outer channels on either side of the tube. They were pleased to see how the prototyped device cleaned a confounding amount of waste. To be more specific, around 150 liters of polluted water per hour. This was used to test how they were able to filter out three different microplastics.
Each plastic on the polluted water was filtered with different efficiencies. The good news is that all were above 56 percent efficient in pure water and a further 59 percent efficient in saltwater. The team then measured the different variables against their efficiency. They saw how acoustic frequency, speaker-to-pipe distance, and water density all made an impact on the amount of force the pipe generated. At this point, the researchers are now looking further into how acoustic waves may have an impact marine life if the wave frequency made was set in the audible range.
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