Could a Sponge Made from Squid Bones Help Remove Microplastics? (cnn.com) 27
While microplastics seem to be everywhere, CNN reports that scientists in China "have come up with a possible solution: a biodegradable sponge made of squid bones and cotton" (which contain two organic compounds "known for eliminating pollution from wastewater...")
They then tested the sponge in four different water samples, taken from irrigation water, pond water, lake water and sea water, and found it removed up to 99.9% of microplastics, according to a study published last month in Science Advances... The sponge created by the Wuhan researchers was able to absorb microplastics both by physically intercepting them and through electromagnetic attraction, the study said.
Previously studied methods for absorbing plastics tend to be expensive and difficult to make, limiting their scalability. Last year, researchers in Qingdao, China developed a synthetic sponge made of starch and gelatin designed to remove microplastics from water, though its efficacy varied depending on water conditions. The low cost and wide availability of both cotton and squid bones mean [the Chinese researchers' sponge] "has great potential to be used in the extraction of microplastic from complex water bodies," according to the study.
Shima Ziajahromi, a lecturer at Australia's Griffith University who studies microplastics, called the squid-cotton-sponge method "promising" and said it could be an effective way to "clean up the high risk and vulnerable aquatic ecosystem." However, the study's authors did not address whether the sponge can remove microplastics that sink to the sediment, which is the majority of microplastics in our waters, said Ziajahromi, who was not involved in the study. Another "critical issue" is the proper disposal of the sponges, Ziajahromi said. "Although the material is biodegradable, the microplastics it absorbs need to be disposed of properly," she said. "Without careful management, this process risks transferring microplastics from one ecosystem to another."
Ultimately, Ziajahromi added, minimizing plastic pollution is in the first place should remain a "top priority."
Previously studied methods for absorbing plastics tend to be expensive and difficult to make, limiting their scalability. Last year, researchers in Qingdao, China developed a synthetic sponge made of starch and gelatin designed to remove microplastics from water, though its efficacy varied depending on water conditions. The low cost and wide availability of both cotton and squid bones mean [the Chinese researchers' sponge] "has great potential to be used in the extraction of microplastic from complex water bodies," according to the study.
Shima Ziajahromi, a lecturer at Australia's Griffith University who studies microplastics, called the squid-cotton-sponge method "promising" and said it could be an effective way to "clean up the high risk and vulnerable aquatic ecosystem." However, the study's authors did not address whether the sponge can remove microplastics that sink to the sediment, which is the majority of microplastics in our waters, said Ziajahromi, who was not involved in the study. Another "critical issue" is the proper disposal of the sponges, Ziajahromi said. "Although the material is biodegradable, the microplastics it absorbs need to be disposed of properly," she said. "Without careful management, this process risks transferring microplastics from one ecosystem to another."
Ultimately, Ziajahromi added, minimizing plastic pollution is in the first place should remain a "top priority."
Maybe so... (Score:1)
I'm going to start hoarding squid bones in case demand skyrockets.
It could probably help (Score:2)
remove Squids.
Solution? (Score:3)
Sources (Score:2)
80% of the problem are countries in Asia and Africa using rivers as a garbage disposal system.
20% of the problem are fishing boats leaving lines and nets floating in the ocean without cleaning up after themselves.
Re: (Score:2)
One of the largest contributors to the microplastic flow is tire wear on highways that wash into the rivers.
Re: (Score:2)
Yup. Visitors to remote islands report that they always find trash, mainly fishing gear and debris. Lots of it.
Squds bones? (Score:5, Interesting)
There is no such. They have a rod made of chitin ie same as exoskeletons of insects but it's minuscule.
So how many squids do we need to kill for this?
Re: Squds bones? (Score:3)
how many squids do we need
One [iflscience.com]. If its big enough.
Don't worry (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Good quote - thanks for posting this!
No (Score:2)
Just another hallucination serving to continue to crap were we eat a little longer so some rich assholes can get even richer. As a whole, the human race is incapable of protecting the environment it critically needs to survive. All that intelligence, and we go for a collapse and possible extinction by overpopulation and overpollution. Like some dumb, barely sentient critters. Pathetic.
But what else does it remove? (Score:2)
Sounds like great technology, if it can scale.
But what else does it remove from the water? For example, microorganisms that are part of the ocean's food chain? That could be a problem.
I looked at the CNN article, and the abstract of the published article, but found nothing on this. Sorry, I don't have time to read the whole article, so if someone does, please update.
Re: (Score:2)
Best uses would be last stage water treatment before being pumped into the potable water system and possibly an in-house changeable filter, and last stage wastewater treatment. However, scaling up to deal with all the trash dumped into the oceans by 3rd world countries and China's fishing fleets is a different matter entirely.
Is it selective? (Score:3)
If you are just scrubbing wastewater it isn't really an issue; everything that isn't water is probably something you want to remove, and in the case of all but the least alarming wastewater some amount of nontoxic and biodegradable filter material getting introduced into the output is probably an improvement over what the filter is catching. If you are scrubbing drinking water you get to be similarly broad in your selection, everything except some modest levels of dissolved minerals is undesirable, though your customers will presumably care somewhat more if there are bits of cotton and chitin in their ice cubes.
In an ecosystem, though, the place is usually teeming with assorted microorganisms, teeny larvae, etc. which are busy serving various critical functions. It seems like you would need selectivity, not merely efficacy, to remove microplastics in useful quantities without also having basically the entire bottom of the aquatic food chain clog your filters and die, which seems somewhat counterproductive.
Having a good filter material is certainly an advance, and I don't want to be interpreted as arguing otherwise: there are a variety of situations where everything needs to go and being able to handle that better would be ideal; it just seems premature to proclaim a good filter to be suitable for ecosystem remediation when ecosystems are loaded with small objects you do not want to remove, or at least need to be judicious about removing.
squid bones (Score:2)
Squid bones are as rare as hens' teeth, seein' as squid don't have bones.
Squid Bones (Score:2)
(a) The much, *much* darker sequel to Squid Game [wikipedia.org] ...
(b) The new nickname of a certain forensic anthropologist [wikipedia.org] who now only investigates mollusc deaths.
(c) A spinoff of (b) starring Squidward Tentacles [wikipedia.org] as a crime-fighting anthropolo-mollusc.
Re: (Score:2)
Is that really required? (Score:2)
From what I've read, our bodies are already full of microplastics. We just need to keep eating fish and meat, and eventually all apex preditors will be solid plastic.
This is a brand new invention (Score:2)
Excessive Packaging Reduction Would Help More (Score:2)
Germany is trying to do something: https://verpackungslizenz24.de... [verpackungslizenz24.de]
Squids DON'T have bones per se (Score:2)
Squid bones? (Score:2)
This sounds like one of those things that sounds nice in a lab then you never hear about it ever again.