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UBC device uses wood dust to trap up to 99.9 per cent of microplastics in water

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Re: UBC device uses wood dust to trap up to 99.9 per cent of microplastics in water

#61

Post by hosh »

There is a researcher named John Todd whose work has been able to break down DDT in a matter of weeks.

In this video, he gives a talk about some various projects. In the first one, he uses these methods to clean up a site contaminated with the top 15 pollutants (at least at the time). Heavy metal were sequestered by algea; 14 of the 15 toxins were below detectable levels, and the 15th was reduced by 99.999%; solids were eaten by armored carp. The output is drinking standard water, and it takes 10 days for the contaminated water to flow through the system.

The key design principle is putting many species across all five kingdoms, from different biomes, and they start self-organizing around the pollutants. The resulting communities break down the pollutant, but are all new.

https://youtu.be/SeQotnmhO5I

In a different interview, he talks about microplastics — and while he has not worked on it, he believes a solution can be found in incorporating all five kingdoms. So not just sequestering them, but breaking them down so they can be useful in the ecosystem again.

Re: UBC device uses wood dust to trap up to 99.9 per cent of microplastics in water

#62

Post by hosh »

soperj wrote: post #43

I like how we all now know that microplastics and PFAS seriously contaminate our water sources, but there's no real thought about things like nanotubes doing the same thing. Wonder what consuming carbon nanotubes might do to us.

Unless there is something special about carbon chains, ingesting them is probably like ingesting activated carbon. Ingested activated carbon is part of a treatment for poison. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activated_carbon

Inhaling it though, is a really bad idea.

Re: UBC device uses wood dust to trap up to 99.9 per cent of microplastics in water

#63

Post by 0xcde4c3db »

joker_minmax wrote: post #54

I feel like we keep hearing about technologies like this that are going to change the world but none of them ever actually get implemented... just me?

As with just about everything else, it's a whole lot easier to build a proof-of-concept prototype than it is to solve the problem at scale. New technologies often have either inherent limitations that make it infeasible for them to scale up (e.g. use of fragile or hard-to-manufacture materials, square-cube issues, outsized cleaning/maintenance requirements) or would simply have a staggering cost at any scale that makes a practical difference.

Re: UBC device uses wood dust to trap up to 99.9 per cent of microplastics in water

#64

Post by hosh »

joker_minmax wrote: post #54

I feel like we keep hearing about technologies like this that are going to change the world but none of them ever actually get implemented... just me?

There are already stuff like this that has been deployed - John Todd’s Eco-Machines: https://youtu.be/SeQotnmhO5I

These projects have not made it to the media, but they are there. We’re talking about EPA-funded works, and other sites around the world.

The guy designing and deploying says it is simple enough that students can construct a small scale version.

Re: UBC device uses wood dust to trap up to 99.9 per cent of microplastics in water

#65

Post by gpt5 »

Exuma wrote: post #12

I was wondering this literally yesterday... are there any current methods for filtering out microplastics? Currently I just have a filter within my fridge for drinking water... but I take it that doesnt do much

The simple carbon filter in your fridge should suffice. Sub micron microplastic (nanoplastics) have not been detected yet, and their sustained existence remains speculative.

If you are still worried, just install a reverse osmosis system. It also has the benefit of filtering away sub-nanometer particles that are actually proven to have negative health effects (such as heavy metals and bacteria).

Re: UBC device uses wood dust to trap up to 99.9 per cent of microplastics in water

#66

Post by bertil »

hosh wrote: post #61

There is a researcher named John Todd whose work has been able to break down DDT in a matter of weeks. In this video, he gives a talk about some various projects. In the first one, he uses these methods to clean up a site contaminated with the top 15 pollutants (at least at the time). Heavy metal were sequestered by algea; 14 of the 15 toxins were below detectable levels, and the 15th was reduced by 99.999%; solids w…

I should probably watch the video, but does he mention anything about dioxin? This has been the main source of pain for my father and his colleagues building sea food farms.

Re: UBC device uses wood dust to trap up to 99.9 per cent of microplastics in water

#67

Post by soligern »

Exuma wrote: post #12

I was wondering this literally yesterday... are there any current methods for filtering out microplastics? Currently I just have a filter within my fridge for drinking water... but I take it that doesnt do much

I have a reverse osmosis system for my well water that filters out both PFAS and micro plastics.

Re: UBC device uses wood dust to trap up to 99.9 per cent of microplastics in water

#68

Post by bertil »

hedora wrote: post #42
changoplatanero wrote: post #3

I guess it's not possible to design a tea bag that's not made out of plastic but that can also survive the boiling hot temperatures?

On a related note, today’s paper straws are apparently covered in PFAS, even though paper straws existed way before plastic was commonly used. I assume you could just coat the straw in food grade wax, but for some reason that’s not commonly done.

My understanding is that all the covers of fast food (fries holder, hamburger wrapper, inside of paper soda cup) are also covered in PFAS — so far disposable coffee cups. Anything “paper” that is in contact with food, really.

Except for the traditional British fish-and-chips newspaper, but that one should have traditional lead-based ink for flavour.

Re: UBC device uses wood dust to trap up to 99.9 per cent of microplastics in water

#69

Post by orangepurple »

hosh wrote: post #61

There is a researcher named John Todd whose work has been able to break down DDT in a matter of weeks. In this video, he gives a talk about some various projects. In the first one, he uses these methods to clean up a site contaminated with the top 15 pollutants (at least at the time). Heavy metal were sequestered by algea; 14 of the 15 toxins were below detectable levels, and the 15th was reduced by 99.999%; solids w…

That video changed my life

Re: UBC device uses wood dust to trap up to 99.9 per cent of microplastics in water

#70

Post by hosh »

bertil wrote: post #66
hosh wrote: post #61

There is a researcher named John Todd whose work has been able to break down DDT in a matter of weeks. In this video, he gives a talk about some various projects. In the first one, he uses these methods to clean up a site contaminated with the top 15 pollutants (at least at the time). Heavy metal were sequestered by algea; 14 of the 15 toxins were below detectable levels, and the 15th was reduced by 99.999%; solids w…

I should probably watch the video, but does he mention anything about dioxin? This has been the main source of pain for my father and his colleagues building sea food farms.

He didn’t talk about any specific toxin by name. It is only a 24 min talk.

It can be tested though through this system though. The last project had not been deployed at the time of this video (2016), but it was a proposal for a design for marinas. Here, he and his colleagues are thinking of smaller, distributed system (miniaturized eco-machines deployed at each dock). He has also experimented with floating systems in rivers, and the Four Season resort system deployed in Hawaii works to cleanup saltwater.

With farms — like any farm, on land or on sea — looking at it as an ecosystem which yields something useful as a byproduct (rather than a system that maximizes extraction) tends to result in a system that is more resilient. That is, the commercial product is a useful byproduct of restoring the ecosystem. Todd’s eco-machine adds additional ecosystems to assist the ecosystem you are trying to restore.

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