Phys.org September 20, 2024 Individual coral polyps contain three distinct components—the surface mucus layer, tissue, and skeleton; each component may exhibit varying extent of microplastic (MP) accumulation and serve as a short- or long-term repository for these pollutants. An international team of researchers (Japan, Thailand) investigated the adhesion and accumulation of MPs in four coral species in the upper Gulf of Thailand. They found that accumulation varied significantly among the four coral species and their components. The most common MP morphotype was fragment, accounting for 75.29 % of the total MPs found in the coral. Notably, most MPs were black, […]
Category Archives: Water pollution
New filter removes chemical contaminants from water even at very low concentrations
Phys.org September 5, 2024 The wide presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in water is a major pollution concern even at the part per billion level. Current research emphasizes the use of microporous materials as adsorbents for pollutant removal but demonstrates the performance at a higher concentration than realistic environmental water due to the absence of efficient detection methods that can be coupled with the removal process. An international team of researchers (Japan, USA – University of Notre Dame) developed a pore-networked membrane (PNM) that could simultaneously remove and detect targeted trace-level PPCPs. The PNMs were designed by […]