Microplastics are a ubiquitous ocean pollutant that threatens environmental and animal health. Graphene is considered a wonder substance because it’s extremely versatile and stronger than steel. Researchers have pegged various forms of graphene as the solution for everything from next generation technology to filtering seawater to reducing the CO2 emissions of concrete. Now scientists at James Cook University in Australia have figured out how to turn microplastics into graphene.
Researchers Adeel Zafar and Mohan V. Jacob used a method called atmospheric pressure microwave plasma (APMP) which, they said, has been used to transform methane and oil vapors into graphene, but not solids. The report said APMP costs significantly less and uses less energy than other methods of creating graphene. However, these researchers were able, “in one step” to convert plastic particles to gases such as “methane, ethylene, and ethane, and then into graphene.”
Even better, they said, “the pristine graphene synthesized through this process exhibited significant efficiency in adsorbing PFOA, positioning it as a promising candidate for addressing environmental challenges linked to microplastics.”
PFOA, the abbreviation for perfluorooctanoic acid, is a “forever chemical”, a toxic component of products like nonstick pan coatings, water repellants and stain retardants that has an environmental half life of aeons. PFO is abundant in the ocean.
The eventual potential could be a profitable market for microplastics that fuels collection and recycling efforts, earning money while cleaning up the ocean.
