"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
6 Aug 2019
Fionn Ferriera, an eighteen-year-old from Ireland has won $50,000 at the Google Science Fair for his project involving the extraction of microplastics from water. The science fair was conducted by Google for students aged 13 to 18 who submitted their projects before a panel of judges.
Microplastics are very small fragments of plastic that pollute the environment. Due to their minute size (less than 5mm), they cannot be filtered or screened during wastewater treatment and thus make their way into waterways. Small fishes eat microplastics. They become prey to larger fishes which in turn are consumed by humans. Microplastics can be a health hazard for humans due to the different toxic and carcinogenic chemicals used to make it.
Ferreira created a ferrofluid by combining oil and magnetite powder and poured it into the water containing microplastics. The microplastics combined with the ferrofluid which was then easy to extract with the help of a magnet, thus leaving behind only water.
This method was subject to a 1000 tests and it succeeded in removing 87% microplastics of all sorts from water. The success of Ferreira’s project has encouraged him to scale the technology to be able to implement at wastewater treatment facilities. There is no doubt that his remarkable project will go a long way in curbing environmental pollution.
Image Source: Mother Jones
