Revolutionary hydrogel: Efficiently combat microplastics in water!

Revolutionary hydrogel: Efficiently combat microplastics in water!

The challenge of microplastics is global and reaches the most remote corners of the planet. Microplastics have been detected in almost all bodies of water and represent a serious environmental problem that endangers the health of both organisms and humans. Latest research from the Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) show promising approaches to combating these harmful particles.

A research team led by Prof. Dr. Sebastian Polarz has developed an innovative hydrogel that is able to autonomously absorb and break down microplastic particles. This novel material works like a self-regulating shuttle, transporting microplastics from the water into the light, where they can be broken down. In the study published in the journalNature Communicationspublished, the scientists show how the hydrogel changes its shape through temperature changes and absorbs microplastics and glucose. An embedded enzyme converts the glucose into oxygen, which gives the hydrogel buoyancy and lifts it to the surface of the water.

Innovative technology to combat microplastics

The hydrogel consists of a thermoresponsive polymer, porous organosilicate particles and a photocatalyst. Interestingly, it is designed to continuously alternate between ascent and descent, ensuring an ongoing cleaning process. At low temperatures, the hydrogel swells and then sinks again after releasing its load of microplastics. This innovative technology could also be expanded to other pollutants and the concept shows adaptability to effectively remove polyethylene or PET, for example.

The problems caused by microplastics are far-reaching. Not only do environmental problems arise, but they can also enter the human body through drinking water. Research, such as at the Indian Institute of Science, has shown that microplastics occur in remote areas such as polar ice caps and deep ocean trenches. The hydrogel that was researched there and is also used to remove microplastics shows an extraordinary efficiency of up to 95% in removing microplastics. This hydrogel uses an intertwining polymer network that is activated by UV light and breaks down microplastics.

New research initiatives and challenges

At the same time, the Dresden University of Technology and Economics (HTWD) received funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) to establish a joint laboratory. The goal of this laboratory, funded from 2024 to 2026, is to study the effects of plastics in various environmental compartments, including water, soil and air. The investment in modern laboratory and analysis technology is intended to offer interdisciplinary research groups access to innovative methods for studying microplastics.

The DFG funding underlines the scientific potential at the HTWD and the urgency of developing effective methods to tackle the plastic crisis. Equipment such as microwave digestion for soil testing and flow-through centrifuges for water analysis are being introduced to better examine larger and difficult-to-reach environmental samples.