Nanoplastics and microplastics seem to be everywhere: in water, soil, and air. Many creative strategies have been tried to get rid of these pieces of plastic, but one unexpectedly effective solution for cleaning your drinking water may be as simple as brewing a particularly good cup of tea or coffee. As reported in ACS' Environmental Science and Technology LettersBoiling and filtering tap water containing calcium can help remove nearly 90% of the nano- and microplastics present.
Contamination of water supplies with nanoplastics and microplastics (NMPs), which can be as small as a thousandth of a millimeter or up to 5 millimeters in diameter, is becoming increasingly common. Although the impact of these particles on human health is still being investigated, current research suggests that ingesting these particles may affect the gut microbiome. Some advanced drinking water filtration systems capture NMPs, but simple, inexpensive methods are needed to help substantially reduce human plastic consumption. Therefore, Zhanjun Li, Eddy Zeng and colleagues wanted to see if boiling could be an effective method for removing NMP from both hard and soft water.
The researchers collected hard water samples from Guangzhou, China and added varying amounts of NMP to them. Samples were boiled for 5 min and then cooled. The team then measured the free-floating plastic content. When mineral-rich hard water is boiled, a chalky substance called limestone or calcium carbonate (CaCO) is naturally formed.three). The results of this experiment show that as water temperature increases, CaCOthree Formed a shell or crystalline structure that encapsulates the plastic particles. Zeng says that over time, these crusts will build up like typical limescale, at which point they can be wiped off to remove the NMP. He suggests that you can remove any remaining shells floating in the water by pouring the water through a simple filter, such as a coffee filter.
In tests, the encapsulation effect was more pronounced in hard water (sample containing 300 mg of CaCO ).three After boiling, up to 90% of free-floating MNPs per liter of water were removed. However, even in soft water samples (less than 60 mg CaCO2)three per liter), boiling still removes approximately 25% of the NMP. Researchers say this study may provide a simple yet effective way to reduce NMP consumption.