The Removal of Microplastics in Ocean Water Using Homemade Filters

Overview

Objectives/Goals Create inexpensive filters from materials in your home to effectively filter out microplastics found in Ocean water. Methods/Materials Constructed a screen from a hardware store to dip into the first 6 inches of ocean water and collect surface samples. First filter materials were: plastic and glass water bottles, gravel, activated and crushed charcoal and clean sand. Second filter materials were: turkey baster, activated and crushed charcoal, and coffee filter. Using a microfiltration rig supplied by my advisor, I was able to compare the controlled sample to the two types of homemade filters. Results The result of using my filters demonstrated that they were effective in removing 97% of microplastics from the ocean water sampled. The average number of plastics counted in the control group was 86 particles. The filtered water average was 2 particles. Conclusions/Discussion The result of a homemade filter was effective in removing microplastics. Over 5 trillion pieces of plastic are currently polluting our oceans. 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans each year. Education and prevention would be the optimal solution. Knowing a simple filter can remove such a high percentage of plastics could be useful in industrial uses such as retrofitting ocean liners and fishing boats.

Awards (1)

• Honorable Mention

Competition history

• CSEF 2018 Environmental Engineering · Entry J1104

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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