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Okra – New “weapon” to eliminate microplastics in water

This is the conclusion drawn from a new study published at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society, which promises to provide an alternative to the synthetic chemicals being used in treatment plants. management, which may pose a health risk.

Study author Rajani Srinivasan, of Tarleton State University, said it was important to use natural substances to optimize microplastic removal in any environment without risk.

Mucus in okra Used as a thickener in many dishes. Srinivasan’s previous research looked at how the mucilage of okra and other plants can remove textile contaminants from water and microorganisms. She then experimented with using okra to remove microplastics.

Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic less than 5mm in size that have been shown to harm marine life in many ways, from affecting the reproductive system to retarding growth and damaging the liver. Microplastics are generated from 8 billion tons of plastic produced since the 1950s, of which less than 10% is recycled. The remaining plastic decomposes and is scattered all over the Earth, from the oceans to the air and soil environment, even in food.

Microplastics are believed to be harmful to human health, although scientists need to learn more to come to a conclusion. Microplastics can cause cancer and mutations, which means they can increase the risk of cancer and DNA mutations in humans.

Treating wastewater to remove microplastics in a conventional way requires two steps. The first is to collect and remove microplastics floating on the water. However, this amount of floating microplastics accounts for only a very small part, the rest is removed using flocculants, or adhesive chemicals to attract the microplastics into larger blocks. These microplastics will sink to the bottom and can be easily removed. However, these synthetic flocculants, such as polyacrylamide, may contain toxic ingredients.

Srinivasan and her colleagues therefore sought to extract mucus from okra, aloe, cactus, fenugreek, tamarind and psyllium – a soluble fiber derived from the seeds of the plant Plantago ovata, a herb commonly grown in India and the Mediterranean region.

This team of scientists tested chain reactions of carbohydrates, called polysaccharides, from plants individually, as well as in combination, in microplastics contaminated water environments. From the microscopic images before and after the reaction, scientists compare and analyze to determine how many microplastic particles are removed.

Accordingly, they found that okra polysaccharides combined with fenugreek polysaccharides could remove microplastics from ocean water the best, while okra polysaccharides combined with tamarind were the most effective for the samples. soft drink.

In general, plant-based polysaccharides are as effective as, or even superior to, polyacrylamide flocculants in microplastic removal. It is important that chemicals of plant origin are both non-toxic and can be used in existing treatment plants.

Ms. Srinivasan hopes to scale up research and commercialize the process, helping people have access to safer and cleaner drinking water.

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