In China, researchers from the University of Wuhan and Guangxi University have produced a fibrous, microplastics-attracting foam by combining cellulose fibers from cotton and chitin, a biopolymer the team sourced from squid skeletons. According to the team, sponges made out of the material were able to soak up upwards of 99% of the particles found from water samples.
“The planet is under great threat from microplastics,” the researchers wrote in their paper, which was published recently in the journal Science Advances. “And aquatic ecosystems are the first to suffer as they provide convenient places for microplastics, which can combine with other contaminants and be ingested by multiple levels of organisms.”
According to design publication dezeen, the paper went on to note that there are few practical technologies for removing microplastics, especially for those smaller than 10 micrometers. In addition to treating oceans and rivers, the material could also be used in washing machine filters to stop microplastics from spreading in the first place.