Researchers at the University of Missouri are developing a new way to remove tiny plastic pollutants from water using specially engineered algae.
Susie Dai, a researcher at Mizzou, recently created a modified strain of algae designed to capture harmful microplastics from contaminated water. Her long term goal is not only to clean waterways but also to recycle the collected plastic into safer bioplastic materials, including composite plastic films.
"Microplastics are pollutants found almost everywhere in the environment, such as in ponds, lakes, rivers, wastewater and the fish that we consume," Dai, a professor in the College of Engineering and principal investigator at the Bond Life Sciences Center, said. "Currently, most wastewater treatment plants can only remove large particles of plastic, but microplastics are so small that they slip through and end up in drinking water, polluting the environment and harming ecosystems."
Engineered Algae Targets Microplastics
In a recent study, Dai used genetic engineering to develop algae that produce limonene, a natural oil responsible for the familiar scent of oranges.
