Scientists from Guangzhou Medical University and Jinan University in China discovered that boiling water can bind plastic particles in it and turn them into residues that can then be removed. Results of their work shared Environmental Science and Technology Letters (ESTL).
During the study, scientists took samples of tap water of different hardness (different concentrations of dissolved calcium and magnesium salts) and added to it three types of plastic particles (polystyrene, polyethylene and polypropylene), ranging in size from 0.1 to 150 micrometers.
Such particles are called microplastics. They enter the environment from a variety of sources, including cosmetics, clothing and industrial processes, and are also formed by the breakdown of larger plastic particles. According to some studies, microplastic particles can damage internal organs and also release harmful chemicals into the body.
Water samples coated with microplastics were boiled for minutes, then cooled, and the concentration of the particles in the water was measured. It turns out that this processing method allows you to remove up to 90% of microplastics from hard water and up to 25% from soft water.
The fact is that during the boiling process in hard water, insoluble calcium carbonate CaCO3 appears, which binds microplastic particles and contributes to their settling at the bottom of the container in the form of sediment. It is stated that this precipitate can then be removed by filtering the water.
Previous scientists learned It turns virtually unrecyclable plastics into semiconductors.