How ozone can help remove microplastics in water
1. What is a microplastic?
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic (less than 5 mm) found in water. They can come directly from products like cosmetics, synthetic clothing, or industrial microbeads, or result from the breakdown of larger plastic waste.
2. Why is this a problem?
These particles pollute rivers, oceans, and even drinking water. They can:
- Be eaten by fish and other aquatic animals.
- Travel up the food chain to humans.
- Carry harmful chemicals.
Because of their small size, they are difficult to filter out using traditional methods.
3. Ozone: an ally against microplastics
Ozone is a natural gas made of three oxygen atoms (O₃). It is already used to purify drinking water.
Against microplastics, it works by:
- Weakening their surface through a chemical reaction.
- Making them easier to clump together and filter out.
- Boosting the efficiency of other treatments like fine filtration or coagulation.
4. Strengths and limits
No chemical residue: ozone turns back into oxygen.
Acts quickly and enhances other purification techniques.
5. In summary
Ozone alone won’t solve the microplastics problem, but it can play a key role in wastewater treatment plants and water purification systems.