From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!
The Atlantic County Utilities Authority is taking a novel approach to remove microplastics from its wastewater treatment plant using technology designed by former Princeton University graduate students.
Plastics do not biodegrade, but instead break down over time into smaller fragments called microplastics, which persist in the environment and accumulate in living organisms.
The Atlantic City wastewater treatment facility said the new initiative aims to divert microplastics from the ocean, protecting marine life and humans. The utility said the installation, which is fully funded by a federal grant, is the first of its kind in the world.
The technology designed by PolyGone Systems, a startup founded by Nathanial Banks and Yidian Liu, replicates ultrahydrophobic plants found in wetlands that microplastics easily stick to so the contaminant can be removed from water.
The system was installed this week after a two-year pilot program.
“I think this really marks a new era for treatment innovation, where we’re able to build very large, scalable systems that use a very small amount of material and very low energy to treat very challenging contaminants,” said Banks, co-founder and CEO of PolyGone Systems. “And, having the first system in the world for that in Atlantic County, it’s quite unusual.”
Microplastics can leach into wastewater treatment plants after they’re discharged by industrial facilities, or from stormwater runoff that collects microplastics from items like vehicle tires. Residents can also pollute wastewater systems by washing clothes that contain microplastics.
There currently are no state or federal regulations that require the removal of microplastics in wastewater or drinking water.
However, the Atlantic County Utilities Authority said it’s crucial to remove the contaminants from wastewater before being discharged into the environment. Wastewater treatment plants discharge their treated effluent into waterways like the Atlantic Ocean.
“We’re discharging to the ocean. So, if we’re not removing the plastic that’s in our wastewater, we’re putting it back into the environment,” said Matt DeNafo, president of the Atlantic County Utilities Authority. “It’s getting into the fish that we’re eating, even the water that we’re bathing. So, it really becomes an issue for human health.”
Microplastics and nanoplastics are often invisible to the human eye and are easily ingested. These particles have been detected in the human bloodstream, brain tissue and other organs, and some researchers say exposure could increase the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Research is ongoing, however, and scientists don’t know the specific harms on the human body.
PolyGone’s founders say the technology has been able to remove more than 98% of microplastics in the control lab environment. There’s no data for the commercial system, but the founders say they’re confident it will continue to remove a majority of microplastics.
Their research has determined that the technology is most effective the smaller the microplastic particles are.
Liu, PolyGone’s co-founder and chief operating officer, said the technology also stands out for its sleek design, which she credits to their background as architecture students.
“We really like how some of the sleek products such as the iPhone, how they were able to resolve very complex problems with very simple but sleek-looking designs, and we want to really emphasize that in how we design the Polypods,” she said.
Liu and Banks have launched a similar system for a wastewater treatment plant in California, and say they’re also interested in scaling down their technology for residential uses.
Never miss a moment with the WHYY Listen App!
Play, pause, and rewind the live radio stream, access on-demand audio features, and dive into podcasts from both local and national sources.
WHYY is yournprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today
