Many of us take access to clean, drinking water for granted. If we’re thirsty, we simply open a bottle of water to get a drink. If we’re dirty, all we need to do is turn the showers and faucets on to wash ourselves. It’s really quite simple for most.
However, polluted water has become a problem. There are portions of the planet where people don’t have access to clean water. While scientists have looked for ways to address this problem, microplastics in water has become the biggest issue yet.
Fret not, however, because good news may be just around the bed. Microbiologists may have discovered a method to use bacteria to trap microplastics found in water. The trapped components then are removed from the environment they’re in so that recycling is actually easier and more possible.
The new groundbreaking technique was developed by scientists and experts at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. They learned how to make use of bacterial biofilms for this. The said biofilm is a sticky substance that’s actually created by micro-organisms. This is then used to trap the microplastic particles found in water. Once that’s done, the biofilm goes through processing and dispersion. This is when the microplastic particles are released for another round processing before it is recycled.
So, why go through this process? That’s because microplastics have been a big problem, especially in the recent years. They pose a major risk to food chains and more importantly, to human health. Researcher Yang Liu shared, “They are not easily bio-degradable, where they retain in the ecosystems for prolonged durations. This results in the uptake of microplastics by organisms, leading to transfer and retention of microplastics down the food chain. Due to their huge surface area and adsorption capacity, microplastics can adsorb toxic pollutants, such as pesticides, heavy metals, and drug residues at high concentrations. This leads to biological and chemical toxicity to organisms in the ecosystems and humans after prolonged unintended consumption of such microplastics. Moreover, microplastics are also difficult to remove in wastewater plants, resulting in their undesired release into the environment.”
How Bacterial Biofilms Work
To go deeper into the process, the researchers utilize the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These play a crucial role in capturing microplastics in a bioreactor. This species of bacteria can be found in all environments. In fact, this bacteria has also colonized the microplastics in the environment.
In reality, P. aeruginosa biofilms cause the microplastics to cluster all together. In eventuality, the microplastics eventually sink to the bottom of the reactor. When this process takes place in bioreactors, collecting microplastics a lot easier and more convenient.
Once the microplastics are trapped in the biofilms and had sunk to the bottom, the researchers then make use of a biofilm-dispersal gene. Thus allows the biofilm to release the microplastics. Liu explained the process because this “allows convenient release of microplastics from the biofilm matrix, which is otherwise difficult and expensive to degrade, so that the microplastics can be later recovered for recycling.”
Taking the Newly Discovered Method to Water Treatment Plants
What exactly are microplastics? Simply put, these are plastic particles that are less than 5mm in diameter. They can go into the environment through a variety of sources such as the breakdown of larger plastic pieces, washing of synthetic clothing, breakdown of car tires, and plastic waste found from industries. There are current methods of employment for microplastic disposal. A few examples are incineration or storage in landfill. While these are helpful, the method is limited and currently has its own disadvantages.
Because of the current limitations, scientists have been in search of the perfect method. The next step of the research they conducted, which was published in the Chemical Engineering Journal, is moving the proof-of-concept from the laboratory to an outside environmental setting. Liu and the team behind the study hope the technique will eventually be used in wastewater treatment plants. This will effectively stop microplastics from escaping into larger bodies of water such as the oceans. These scientists are also currently searching for natural compounds to stimulate biofilm dispersal of the pro-biofilm forming bacterial isolates. They said that “this provides a basis for future applications in wastewater treatment plants, where microplastics can be removed in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.”
It is with hope that studies similar to this could help reduce or remove the ‘plastification’ problems of the natural environments all over.
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