I-Corps: Microplastic filtration from active waterways

I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发便携式微塑料测量和隔离装置的潜力。每年大约有800万吨塑料进入美国水道，其中80%通过受污染的河流运输，其中包括大塑料（尺寸大于5毫米）和微塑料（尺寸小于5毫米）。微塑料正迅速成为全球关注的问题，因为它们很容易被摄入，在野生动物和人类的饮食中引入了潜在的危险和致癌添加剂。目前，没有一致的方案可用于准确和系统地记录水中微塑料污染物浓度。此外，也没有现有的技术可以从支流、流出流、水库和湖泊中隔离微塑料。这项技术可以被水生排放研究组织和城市河流管理员使用，因为它可以为他们提供一种监测和隔离微塑料的通用工具。此外，该设备可以作为废水和饮用水处理基础设施的一部分部署，以潜在地去除水生环境中的微塑料。最后，这项技术可以允许从设备中提取的微塑料进行升级回收和再利用，为微塑料废物创造循环经济。I-Corps的这个项目是基于一种专有过滤技术的开发，该技术有可能从活跃的水道中物理捕获微塑料沉积物。这项技术的独特设计可以有效地隔离河流和流出流中的微塑料，而不会破坏当地的生态系统。细网很容易被藻类堵塞，减缓河流流速，并捕获水生野生动物，而这种设备使用专利的“人工根”生物过滤器来捕获微塑料。这种生物过滤器是一种密集的纤维网，可以物理地捕获河流水柱上层的沉积物，几乎所有的微塑料都是在那里发现的。当被淹没在水中时，这个网络承载的细菌会产生粘稠的生物膜，这些生物膜可以进一步粘附小的水生沉积物，如微塑料。这个网络虽然密集，但不均匀，并且有开口，允许小型水生生物通过。每个生物过滤器都连接在一个可移动的垫上，一旦生物过滤器饱和，就很容易更换。每个垫都安装在一个流体动力漂浮框架内，旨在使设备能够部署在河流、溪流和水库中。由于没有机械部件，该技术被动运行，不需要电力，并且需要最少的维护才能有效运行。与现有的微塑料过滤系统相比，这可以使该设备的生产、部署和维护成本更低。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the potential development of a portable microplastic measuring and sequestration device. Every year approximately 8 million tons of plastic enter US waterways, of which 80% gets transported in polluted rivers as both macroplastics (above 5 mm in size) and microplastics (below 5 mm in size). Microplastics are rapidly becoming a global concern, as they can easily be ingested, introducing potentially hazardous and carcinogenic additives into the diets of wildlife and humans. Currently, there are no consistent protocols available for the accurate and systematic recording of microplastic pollutant concentrations in water. Furthermore, there is also no existing technology available to sequester microplastics from tributaries, effluent streams, reservoirs, and lakes. This technology could be used by aquatic emissions research organizations and municipal riverkeepers, as it may provide them with a universal tool for microplastic monitoring and sequestration. Additionally, this device can be deployed as part of wastewater and drinking water treatment infrastructure, to potentially remove microplastics from aquatic environments. Finally, this technology could allow extracted microplastic collected from the device to be upcycled and reused, creating a circular economy for microplastic waste.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a proprietary filtration technology with the potential to physically entrap microplastic sediments from active waterways. This technology is uniquely designed to efficiently sequester microplastics from rivers and effluent streams without potentially disrupting local ecosystems. Unlike fine mesh nets that can easily get clogged with algae, slow down river flow, and entrap aquatic wildlife, this device uses a patented ‘artificial root’ biofilter to entrap microplastics. This biofilter is a dense mesh of fibers that physically ensnare sediment in the upper strata of a river’s water column, which is where almost all microplastic is found. When submerged in water, this network hosts bacteria that produce sticky biofilms that can further adhere small aquatic sediments like microplastics. The network, while dense, is uneven and has openings that allow for the transit of small aquatic organisms. Each biofilter is attached to a removable pad, making it easy to swap biofilters once they become saturated. Each pad is housed within a hydrodynamic flotation frame, aimed to allow the device to be deployed in both rivers, streams, and reservoirs. Due to it having no mechanical components, this technology operates passively, requires no electricity, and demands minimal maintenance to operate effectively. This could make the device cheaper to produce, deploy and maintain compared to the existing microplastic filtration systems.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.