The research team comprises Dr Song-lin Chua (left), Dr James Fang Kar-hei (right), PhD student Ms Sylvia Yang Liu (middle) and MPhil student Mr Matthew Ming-lok Leung (not in picture).
A sample of microplastics; Right: Bacteria cause the microplastics to accumulate gradually to form a bulk and sink to the bottom
It takes hundreds and thousands of years for plastic to decompose, and in most cases, plastic breaks into small pieces and ends up in rivers and oceans. Microplastics can be harmful to the environment and aquatic life, and there is no effective solution to capture and remove these tiny plastic fragments from the water yet.
To solve the problem, ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐, a marine biologist who studies pollutants and toxins in marine environments, team up with ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ป๐ด-๐น๐ถ๐ป, a microbiologist focuses on bacterial pathogenesis research, to develop an innovative approach in removing microplastics from water.
Find out about their approach at PolyU Excel x Impact:
https://www.polyu.edu.hk/publications/excelximpact/issue/202107/research-innovation/microbial-solution-for-microplastic-pollution
