Tapping the power of plants to fight microplastics
This story is part of the Forward happens here series.
Dr. Orlando Rojas and his team at UBC have found a way to remove microplastics from our water supply—using natural, renewable materials
What if a consumer product could filter microplastics out of your drinking water? Or better yet, if water systems could remove microplastics and antibiotics before they even reach your tap?
Both scenarios are within reach, says Dr. Orlando Rojas, the Scientific Director of the BioProducts Institute at the University of British Columbia. “It’s been very difficult to find solutions to remove micro and nanoplastics, because they cannot be removed by the physical barriers of filters or by typical adsorption mechanisms,” he explains. “We’re using the magic of chemistry to accomplish it.”
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic debris that result from the breakdown of consumer products, synthetic textiles and many other sources. They pose a growing threat to aquatic ecosystems and human health, and tackling the problem requires innovative solutions.
At UBC, Dr. Rojas’ team combined chemistry with cutting-edge technology and good old-fashioned sawdust. They created a filter that traps up to 99.9 per cent of microplastics in water by combining polyphenol compounds (like those derived from tannins) with sawdust. The device also removes contaminants from crop and animal farming, including antibiotics that seep into our water supply.
Unlike polymer and ceramic filters, this method uses natural resources in a circular, sustainable manner. “Our filter does not contribute to further pollution as it uses renewable and biodegradable materials—tannic acids from plants, bark, wood and leaves, and sawdust, a common byproduct of wood processing,” explains Dr. Rojas. “Bioproducts check all the boxes because they are biodegradable, biocompatible and recyclable.”
Finding innovative ways to use and recycle waste and renewable land and ocean bioresources is part of Dr. Rojas’ work as a Canada Excellence Research Chair in Bioproducts—research that helps both the environment and the economy.
“There’s so much potential in nature to solve our environmental material problems, while rethinking our forest and agricultural economy.”
– Dr. Orlando Rojas, Scientific Director, BioProducts Institute at UBC
Finding sustainable solutions to modern problems
While the microplastics filter remains as a lab set-up at this stage, Dr. Rojas’ team believes that the solution can be scaled up once they find the right partners to move the idea into action.
Translating research into real-world applications is key. The microplastics filter is one of many practical projects happening at UBC’s BioProducts Institute, which has a program to move discoveries out of the lab through start-ups and other business ventures. “We work together to turn biological products into solutions for society, to secure a better standard of living, improve our health and make cleaner, water, air and land,” says Dr. Rojas.
Two students on the filter project team are now working on practical applications. Marina Mehling, a doctoral student at UBC’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, is working with BC’s Ministry of Forests to help provide cleaner water for local Indigenous communities. Dr. Tianyu Guo, a postdoctoral researcher at the BioProducts Institute, is working with Unilever on developing alternatives to consumer plastic packaging materials.
“What we do impacts people not only locally, but globally,” says Dr. Rojas. “To create that impact, we need to form partnerships with others that face similar opportunities.” For example, tech giant Apple collaborated with the BioProducts Institute to produce a white paper highlighting the opportunity for biobased solutions to replace traditional plastics such as Styrofoam in packaging and reduce waste and environmental impact along the way. The institute is also working with a global home furnishings retailer to find environmentally friendly alternatives for polyurethane, a flexible foam that’s used in furniture, bedding and more.
Fostering a big-picture approach
The collaborative environment of the BioProducts Institute fosters connections that feed innovation and help move research forward. Other UBC researchers are exploring sustainable alternatives to flexible plastic packets, such as those used for personal-sized consumer products, which are a significant source of microplastics globally. They are also looking at using plant-based biological materials to develop biomedical devices, energy harvesting and storage systems, electroactive and optoelectronic units, catalytic supports and other creations.
“We tend to be very focused and narrow in our activities when we work as scientists,” Dr. Rojas notes. “UBC is bringing people together to look at the big picture.”
A Global Research Excellence Institute, UBC’s BioProducts Institute is supported by the Faculty of Applied Science, Faculty of Forestry, Faculty of Science and Faculty of Land and Food Systems. It brings together over 60 professors and their researchers in deep science areas including chemistry, physics, chemical engineering, materials science and computational chemistry, who collaborate with experts in social science, economists, industrial designers and creatives. “This collaboration really guides what we do and connect our work with society,” he says.
These experts are attracted to UBC for its commitment to sustainability and the opportunity to shape a better world together. “UBC and its partners have invested heavily in hiring these people and providing the infrastructure for us to carry out the research and become a leader in the area,” he says.
For his part, Dr. Rojas is on a mission to establish a pan-Canadian bioproducts strategy. “There’s so much potential in nature to solve our environmental material problems, while rethinking our forest and agricultural economy,” he says. “We need to find ways to use renewable materials including current waste streams that are available close to us. There is no better way to meet material needs than by harnessing the power of biology, using regenerative resources from plants and other organisms.”
