Irish teen invents magnetic liquid trap to remove microplastics in water (2019)
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Irish teen invents magnetic liquid trap to remove microplastics in water (2019)
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Re: Irish teen invents magnetic liquid trap to remove microplastics in water (2019)
#2Seems like a clever solution but not sure how scalable it is for cleaning the ocean.
Cleaning the water would require pumping it which has to be super expensive. Maybe a such a filter at the end of residential waste pipes might be an appropriate application.
Re: Irish teen invents magnetic liquid trap to remove microplastics in water (2019)
#3This sounds like something that could be applied during pumping already (sewage treatment).
Re: Irish teen invents magnetic liquid trap to remove microplastics in water (2019)
#4(2019)
Or even (2018), since that's when the guy actually came up with it. It was widely reported several times. He's become a regular on the conference circuit since then, but as far as I can see his "great invention" has not actually been deployed in any significant capacity. I'd like it if anybody could shine some light on the outcomes.
Re: Irish teen invents magnetic liquid trap to remove microplastics in water (2019)
#5Seems like a clever solution but not sure how scalable it is for cleaning the ocean. Cleaning the water would require pumping it which has to be super expensive. Maybe a such a filter at the end of residential waste pipes might be an appropriate application.
It wouldn't work at scale in the oceans; I don't think it discriminates between microplastics and microorganisms.
It'd work on a smaller scale though, but then it would have to compete with traditional filters.
Re: Irish teen invents magnetic liquid trap to remove microplastics in water (2019)
#6TLDR: a non-polar, non-toxic, ferromagnetic agent is added to the contaminated water. Plastic particles then attach to the agent due to their non-polar nature. The ferromagnetic agent with absorbed micro plastics subsequently can be removed by a magnet. The process removes >90% of micro plastics.
[Updated for clarity]
Re: Irish teen invents magnetic liquid trap to remove microplastics in water (2019)
#7Brilliant, great work by Ferreira.
While working out a scalable solution, this would be a great addition to preexisting sewage infrastructure in the US!
Re: Irish teen invents magnetic liquid trap to remove microplastics in water (2019)
#8(2019) Or even (2018), since that's when the guy actually came up with it. It was widely reported several times. He's become a regular on the conference circuit since then, but as far as I can see his "great invention" has not actually been deployed in any significant capacity. I'd like it if anybody could shine some light on the outcomes.
Yep, so a `(2019)` in the title is required.
Re: Irish teen invents magnetic liquid trap to remove microplastics in water (2019)
#9Does anyone else approach these "teen invents x" or "wiz kid middle schooler discovers y" articles with extreme skepticism? About half the time the invention turns out to be bogus or trivial, and in the other half it comes to light the parents were behind it.
Re: Irish teen invents magnetic liquid trap to remove microplastics in water (2019)
#10We just have to be careful so that "the cure doesn't become deadlier than the disease": in case some magnetic particles are left in it could cause greater issues perhaps than plastic. We can't just assume that "yeah don't worry bro the magnets will surely remove all magnetic particles".