A pair of high school students created a novel water filter that blocks microplastic particles from flowing water by creating a wall of sound. In laboratory experiments, the high-frequency sound waves' acoustic force eliminated 84% to 94% of the suspended microplastic particles in a single pass. Now, they're trying to scale up their idea with the money they won from a prestigious prize. Not to beat a dead horse, but microplastic particles are found in the deepest regions of the ocean, blowing up to the summit of Everest, and showering down from the jetstream. When consumed by humans, they have been discovered to penetrate every organ that has been investigated thus far.

Addressing this pan contaminant is a huge task, but two high school students from Woodlands, Texas, Victoria Ou and Justin Huang, could have an ingenious solution. By forcing the microplastic pollutants away from the water's outflow point, the teenagers have successfully captured up to 94% of the impurities using ultrasonic sound waves that travel freely through the water. Their pen-sized gadget outperforms previous attempts to treat microplastics in drinking water and wastewater by using ultrasonic vibrations.

They Are Looking Ahead With Bright Eyes~ 

( Source: Google Images) 

After accepting their prize, Huang said , "This is the first year we've done this." "We could really improve our device and get it ready for large-scale manufacturing if we could refine this—maybe use more professional equipment, maybe go to a lab instead of testing from our home." Ou and Huang earned the $50,000 Gordon E. Moore Award for Positive Outcomes for Future Generations last week at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles.

Additionally, they won first prize in the Earth and Environmental Sciences category, which was sponsored by Google. This strategy is somewhat novel. 

The two went to sewage and wastewater treatment facilities close to their house to learn how they controlled microplastics before creating their gadget ~

 The response they got caught them off guard as the plant didn't have any such policies in place. To begin with, neither a practical method nor any rules regarding microplastic contamination in water are in place with the US EPA. Ou and Huang think their approach might be used in industrial textile operations, rural water sources, and wastewater treatment facilities like the one they visited. Smaller-scale applications for it include fish tanks and washing machines to filter out microplastics.

“I think science is the perfect way to solve this issue. Because a lot of innovation and invention happens in science, and technology is always changing. And so I think, if I really wanted to make a big impact, this would be the way to go.” High schooler and science fair winner Victoria Ou