JAPANESE SCIENTISTS DISCOVER NEW TECH TO FILTER MICROPLASTICS FROM WATER

Expert Insight: Règis Danielian

New research reports from Shinshu University has revealed an innovative and eco-friendly method for removing microplastics from water — using the natural mucilage (“slime”) produced by Nameko mushrooms.

Microplastics, formed through the breakdown of larger plastic products, are increasingly being detected in oceans, rivers, and drinking water systems, raising growing environmental and public health concerns worldwide. Despite increasing awareness, scalable and sustainable filtration solutions have remained limited.

Researchers at Shinshu University have investigated natural and sustainable filtration methods. This research has suggested that pectin-rich mucilage extracted from edible and widely available Nameko mushrooms (Pholiota nameko), combined with iron ions (Fe III), was able to remove up to 95.3% of microplastics and 87.4% of nanoplastics from contaminated water. Remarkably, when wastewater from mushroom processing was reused in testing, removal efficiency increased to 98.4%.

The biodegradable process works by binding plastic particles into removable flocs, offering a potentially low-cost and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional chemical water treatment methods.

The findings of this study has the ability to have industry and society-wide impact and researchers believe this method can advance large-scale water purification. Paving a sustainable and safer future for the environment.

“Yet another way to remove microplastics from water. Scientists in Japan successfully tested a new method, among many others, to remove microplastics from water. The presence of microplastics in drinking water raises growing public health concerns. Removing particles below the micron level remains complex and expensive, but this new approach offers a fully ecological way to remove more than 95% of microplastics using a very common, inexpensive, and edible mushroom.” - Règis Danielian