According to a press release by the University of British Columbia, scientists at UBC’s BioProducts Institute found that if you add tannins—natural plant compounds that make your mouth pucker if you bite into an unripe fruit—to a layer of wood dust, you can create a filter that traps virtually all microplastic particles present in water.

Almost all tap water is contaminated with microplastics. There are studies that state that more than 10 billion tons of mismanaged plastic waste will end up in the environment by 2025.

The water filter developed by the teams from the two universities, called ”bioCap”, trapped from 95.2% to as much as 99.9% of plastic particles in a column of water, depending on plastic type.

According to the same press release, when tested in mouse models, the process was proved to prevent the accumulation of microplastics in the organs.

Photo: https://news.ubc.ca/