Gwenevier Riendeau
One of our greatest threats to the marine environment is plastic pollution, with a staggering 12 million tonnes making its way into our oceans each year. This form of pollution is abundant and direct as nearly 40% of our world's ocean surfaces are covered in plastic waste. Research suggests that by the year 2050, the amount of plastic will outweigh the number of fish in the ocean.
Another challenge with plastic pollution includes the increasing number of microplastics in every living system. According to Harvard Medicine, we have encountered microplastics everywhere: through fabrics, trash, cleaners, rain, seafood, and more. These microplastics don’t affect just us humans either, they can be ingested by animals as small as invertebrates and as large as whales. It has become an inescapable problem which demands a solution. Luckily, a recently published article by James Cook University highlighted the research done by scientists Muhammed Zafar and Mohan Jacob. The researchers discovered a technique that allows them to rapidly upcycle microplastics into a highly valuable material.
At their most basic elements, plastic is composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, and sulfur. Most of the plastic we see comes from the natural world in the form of cellulose, coal, crude oil, natural gas, and salt. These naturally occurring materials are then refined down to ethane and propane, heated, and combined into polyethylene which forms plastic. With the outstanding strength and resilience of plastic, it is practically indecomposable. Plastic waste can take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose, and even then, it never fully disappears; it just gets smaller and smaller.
As the plastic breaks down, it becomes microplastic which ranges from 5 millimeters to 1 nanometer in length. One of the interesting properties of microplastics is their ability to absorb chemical pollutants in the marine environment. Dr. Adeel Zafar said microplastics' characteristics enable them to absorb organic pollutants. Using field environmental toxicology research, scientists at Harvard University Studies observed oxidative damage, DNA damage, and changes in gene activity, known risks for cancer development in cell cultures, marine wildlife, and animal models indicating that microplastics can cause catastrophic damage to all living beings.
The rapid upcycling of microplastics makes the future look brighter for marine and terrestrial inhabitants. The research suggests that polyethylene microplastics can be efficiently transformed into the valuable material graphene. The significance of this is that graphene is a highly valuable carbon-based material that is one of the thinnest, strongest, and most conductive materials known. The potential for graphene is compelling because there are so many potential uses for it, from human medicine to electronics. By using a new technique, atmospheric pressure microwave plasma (APMP), Zafar and Jacob were able to synthesize pristine graphene with nearly ten times greater efficiency than using graphene-based nanocomposites.
In his study, Professor Jacob stated, "The research not only pioneers a novel approach to graphene synthesis but also contributes to the broader goal of mitigating the adverse effects of microplastic pollution on our ecosystems.". The benefits of this study are endless. It provides hope for change in our environment, reducing plastic pollution and converting single and multi-use plastics into graphene. This study is one of many that sparks ingenuity and true scientific exploration for a better future for the next generations.
Citations
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Zafar, M. A., & Jacob, M. V. (2024, August 7). Instant Upcycling of Microplastics into Graphene and Its Environmental Application [Research Article]. Wiley Online Library. https://doi.org/10.1002/smsc.202400176