2024-08-08 09:00:00
Almost invisible to the naked eye, microplastics, measuring less than five millimeters, are omnipresent in the oceans. This pollution comes from the decomposition of larger plastic, or from the release of plastic microbeads contained in clothing fibers or cosmetics. In addition to the risk of contaminating certain animals and therefore entering the food chain, these microplastics can be vectors of bacteria, some of which are pathogenic.
In order to capture particles and microbes simultaneously, a team of Czech researchers, including the famous chemist Martin Pumera, has come up with an innovative device: beads, measuring just a few micrometers in diameter, onto which polymeric “arms” (made of polymers) are grafted. Each set of beads and arms, without electronics, is called a microrobot for convenience. Under the action of an external magnetic field, these dozens of microrobots move in a swarm. Thanks to this collective behavior, they sequester microplastics. In addition, magnetically charged, they retain bacteria.
Wash and reuse
According to the results of a study published in the scientific journal ACS Nano, at a concentration of 7.5 milligrams of robots per milliliter, about 80% of the bacteria in the treated sample were captured. The researchers then collect all the microrobots using a magnet, and use ultrasound to extract the contaminants.
Each of them can then be disinfected by ultrasound and then reused. Although promising, this type of microrobotic device remains difficult to test in a real environment for the moment, because the materials are expensive and the protocols complicated.
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