I am going to attempt to create a filter to capture microplastics before they enter the environment. The filter is going to be based on the way oysters filter water, since they
are known to contain plastics. Oysters are pretty hardworking, with the capability for a single oyster to filter
more than 50 gallons of water in a day. The water enters the oyster, and the pumping of the gills forces the water and nutrients through the stomach, excreting the waste (or, in the case of microplastics, not...).
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| Photo courtesy of Adrian B. Jones and Nigel P. Preston |
I believe this pumping action is one of the keys to creating a viable filtration system. The filter must act more as a muscle than a traditional filter. I have been doing research into the use of static electricity to capture the microplastics. My research is still early, but an electrostatic charge could possibly attract the microplastic particles, preventing escape from the filter. I have also considered whether using a membrane-type design would be more beneficial than a traditional filter design.
Sources:
Chesapeake Bay Program. (n.d.)
Oysters. Retrieved from https://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/oysters
Jones, Adrian B. and Nigel P. Preston.
Biofiltration of Shrimp Pond Effluent by Oysters in a Raceway System." [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from http://slideplayer.com/slide/8732045/
Williams, Lyle. (2017, March 2). We struck plastic...Again. [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://oce1001lab.blogspot.com/2017/03/lyle-ur-we-struck-plasticagain.html
Electrostatic filtration would certainly be a great way to go. Have you searched to see if we can purchase this material?
ReplyDeleteAnother thought--if you create that 'thing' you were describing at the end of class, you would still need to compare it to another material--say the wire mesh that we are using in our washing machine. I'll ask Paul what it is and take a pic of how we are using it. This way, you can see if your contraption works better!
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