By: Paige Bennett Updated: November 30, 2022 Edited by Chris McDermott

Researchers at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) have discovered a way to use magnetic materials to quickly and affordably remove microplastics from water. The findings show the materials work to remove plastic particles 1,000 times smaller than plastics currently detectable in existing water treatment plants.

The team developed an adsorbent from nanomaterials, including iron, that attracts the plastic particles in the water, working in as little as one hour compared to other microplastic removal methods that can take several days to work. The adsorbent is mixed into water, and microplastics and even dissolved pollutants are attracted to the adsorbent. Then, because of the iron content, the researchers were able to use magnets to collect the microplastics and dissolved pollutants.