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#plastics

7 posts7 participants0 posts today

📊 The global 𝙄𝙣𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩 was valued at 𝙐𝙎𝘿 15.39 𝘽𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙤𝙣 in 2019 and is projected to hit 𝙐𝙎𝘿 25.39 𝘽𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙤𝙣 by 2032 📈 at a CAGR of 𝟑.𝟗%.
🔗fortunebusinessinsights.com/in

🌏 𝘼𝙨𝙞𝙖 𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘 led the market with 𝟯𝟵.𝟬𝟱% share in 2019. Growth driven by 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜, and 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 sectors. 🚀
#InjectionMolding #Manufacturing #Plastics #IndustryTrends

#Okra and #Fenugreek Extracts Safely Remove #Microplastics From Water in New Texas Research

May 10, 2025

"The substances behind the slimy strings from okra and the gel from fenugreek seeds could trap microplastics better than a commonly used synthetic polymer.

"Texas researchers proposed in 2022 using these sticky #NaturalPolymers to clean up water. Now, they’ve found that okra and/or fenugreek extracts attracted and removed up to 90% of microplastics from #ocean water, #freshwater, and #groundwater.

"With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, Rajani Srinivasan and colleagues at Tarleton State University found that the plant-based polymers from okra, fenugreek, and #tamarind stick to microplastics, clumping together and sinking for easy separation from water.

"In this next stage of the research, they have optimized the process for okra and fenugreek extracts and tested results in a variety of types of water.

"To extract the sticky plant polymers, the team soaked sliced okra pods and blended fenugreek seeds in separate containers of water overnight. Then, researchers removed the dissolved extracts from each solution and dried them into powders.

"Analyses published in the American Chemical Society journal showed that the powdered extracts contained #polysaccharides, which are natural polymers. Initial tests in pure water spiked with microplastics showed that:

- One gram of either powder in a quart (one liter) of water trapped microplastics the most effectively.
- Dried okra and fenugreek extracts removed 67% and 93%, respectively, of the plastic in an hour.
- A mixture of equal parts okra and fenugreek powder reached maximum removal efficiency (70%) within 30 minutes.
- The natural polymers performed significantly better than the synthetic, commercially available polyacrylamide polymer used in #wastewater treatment.

"Then the researchers tested the plant extracts on real microplastic-polluted water. They collected samples from waterbodies around Texas and brought them to the lab. The plant extract removal efficiency changed depending on the original water source.

"Okra worked best in ocean water (80%), fenugreek in groundwater (80-90%), and the 1:1 combination of okra and fenugreek in freshwater (77%).

"The researchers hypothesize that the natural polymers had different efficiencies because each water sample had different types, sizes and shapes of microplastics.

"Polyacrylamide, which is currently used to remove contaminants during wastewater treatment, has low toxicity, but its precursor #acrylamide is considered #toxic. Okra and fenugreek extracts could serve as #biodegradable and #nontoxic alternatives.

" 'Utilizing these plant-based extracts in water treatment will remove microplastics and other pollutants without introducing additional toxic substances to the treated water,' said Srinivasan in a media release, 'thus reducing long-term health risks to the population [and the environment].

"She had previously studied the use of food-grade plant extracts as non-toxic flocculants to remove textile-based pollutants from wastewater and thought, ‘Why not try microplastics?’"

Source:
goodnewsnetwork.org/plant-base

Good News Network · Plant-Based Filter Removes Up to 99.9% of Microplastics from WaterThe health of effects of ingesting microplastics are, predictably, not good, though the science is in its early stages.

#Plastics industry pushed ‘advanced #recycling’ despite knowing problems – report
Producers promoted chemical recycling – used to break plastics into constituent molecules – but knew of limitations
Industry increasingly promoted the tech, as public concern about the #environmental and #health effects of plastic #pollution has grown. Rollout of these technologies has been plagued by problems, according to a new analysis from the Center for Climate Integrity.
theguardian.com/environment/20

The Guardian · Plastics industry pushed ‘advanced recycling’ despite knowing problems – reportBy Dharna Noor

Glass bottles [sealed with plastic caps] found to contain more microplastics than plastic bottles

phys.org/news/2025-06-glass-bo

> Drinks including water, soda, beer and wine sold in glass bottles contain more microplastics than those in plastic bottles, according to a surprising study released by France's food safety agency Friday.

I wonder whether corks or rubber seals for canning jar could be a solution.

Phys.org · Glass bottles found to contain more microplastics than plastic bottlesBy Rébecca Frasquet