IISc Bengaluru Innovate Eco-Friendly Hydrogel to Purify Water from Microplastics

Category : Science and Tech Published on: April 16 2024

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IISc scientists developed a sustainable hydrogel to address the global issue of plastic pollution by removing microplastics from water.
Microplastics, smaller than 5 millimeters, are widespread in oceans, soil, and even the air, posing a threat to human health.
The hydrogel, made of a unique polymer network, can bind and degrade microplastics using UV light, unlike previous methods prone to clogging.
Composed of three polymer layers and nanoclusters of copper substitute polyoxometalate, the hydrogel efficiently removes polyvinyl chloride and polypropylene microplastics from water.
The team plans to scale up the technology to deploy devices for cleaning up microplastics from various water sources, while the hydrogel can also be repurposed to remove heavy metals from polluted water, offering a versatile solution to environmental contamination.