Plastic is among one of the most used materials around the world. Unfortunately, it is much harder to dispose of it than it is to make it, leading to a variety of problems; one of the biggest problems, that lacks the appropriate attention, is microplastics (plastics smaller than 5mm).  Current methods to remove these plastics involve expensive, toxic, and carcinogenic chemicals used with water that is ultimately released back into the natural habitat, further damaging the ecosystem. These chemicals are used because of their ability to flocculate the microplastics. Fortunately, there is a potential alternative to these chemicals that originate from certain plants in the form of a polysaccharide. The polysaccharides are  extracted from these specific plants, which have similar flocculation abilities as those of the harmful chemical currently used, but the difference is that the polysaccharides are easily manufactured, biodegradable, nontoxic, and very inexpensive. The purpose of our research is to determine the optimum concentration of polysaccharides required for the removal of microplastics from water. We are using water samples collected from Houston as our live water with microplastics and specifically focusing on Okra and Fenugreek polysaccharides as the flocculating agent. The polysaccharides are mixed with the Houston water and left alone, taking samples at 0, 5, 15, 30, and 60 minutes to see where flocculation is most effective. Microplastics are detected using compound microscopes using hemocytometer. The retrieved samples are placed in a hemocytometer and then the microplastics are counted at 40X before and after treatment. The data gathered from these results will be used to analyze and determine the optimal concentration of polysaccharides required to treat certain volume of microplastic contaminated water.

Extraction of micro plastics from water using plant polymers

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.