(BNT) Breaking News Today: BNT - A Korean research team develops the world's

first eco-friendly filter that removes microplastics from water

A collaboration between the two technologies: ‘electrophoresis’ of Kiwon and ‘triboelectric generator’ of DGIST

The Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) and the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DIGIST) joint research team announced on the 6th that they have developed the first eco-friendly filter that can remove not only micro but also nano-sized microplastics from water. As the world's first eco-friendly filter that removes microplastics without environmental pollution, it is expected to contribute to solving the problem of microplastics, which is emerging as a major environmental problem. The result was published in the June 11 online edition of ‘Nano Energy’, an international academic journal in the field of energy engineering, and is scheduled to be published in September.

Microplastics in Drinking Water and Oceans

Microplastics are small plastic particles less than 5 mm in diameter. There are primary microplastics, which are made small from the beginning, and secondary microplastics, which are finely broken and split. It mainly flows into the sea and contaminates the marine ecosystem. Through the disruption of the endocrine system of marine organisms, it accumulates in humans, the top predator, and acts as a threatening factor, such as disturbing human body functions.

The severity of the microplastic problem and its dangers to humans have been constantly warned for a long time. (Link to article – ‘Concentration of microplastics in your blood’) However, microplastics are so small that it is difficult to separate or process them with filters that have been used to filter out impurities. In particular, in the case of ultra-fine plastics having a nanometer (nm) size smaller than a micrometer (㎛), the filter may be clogged or the filter itself may cause pollution of the marine ecosystem.

In the midst of the need for a new method of environmentally friendly microplastic removal technology that can overcome these limitations, an eco-friendly power plant that removes microparticles in water was developed for the first time. A joint research team led by Dr. Cho Han-cheol's research team from the Precision Machinery Process Control Research Group at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology and Professor Joo-hyeok Lee of the Department of Energy Engineering at DGIST succeeded in developing an eco-friendly particle removal technology that can treat microplastic particles in water for the first time in the world.

What is the principle of the eco-friendly microplastic filter? Electrophoresis and TENG

As a fine particle removal technique, ‘electrophoresis’ technology was used. It is a technique to separate organic substances using electrical properties. When a strong electric field is generated in water, micro and nano particles in the water quickly move toward the electrode (substrate) and adhere to it, thereby removing microplastic particles. The research team paid attention to the fact that the efficiency of electrophoresis can be increased through high voltage. In addition, it developed a new microparticle removal technology that removes microplastics by grafting a triboelectric generator capable of outputting high voltage and low current.