Japanese experts have developed a technology to filter microscopic plastic using sound waves. Photo: File

Tokyo: Japanese experts have successfully demonstrated that using sound waves to agglomerate microscopic plastic particles in water could help solve this long-standing problem.

Microplastics are now everywhere and are getting into our food and water. Now, Chinese experts have come up with a unique new method to remove microplastics from water, which include fine particles of plastic ranging from one to five micrometers. It should be noted that a micrometer is equal to one millionth of a meter.

Scientists at Kei Shinshu University in Japan have created a sound-based filter that pushes plastic particles to one side and the plastic can be removed from there. It is actually a microfluidic device that was specially designed and works on a hydroelectric model.

In detail, it has 1.5 mm wide microscopic channels connected by 0.7 mm wide three-way junctions. It was created by Professor Yoshitake Akiyama and his colleagues. When a 500 kHz frequency sound is applied, the plastic particles begin to clump together and thus the plastic begins to clump together.

Some tests showed that 90% of the plastic in the water can be removed in this way. In this, sound waves travel through water, pushing aside and filtering particles. Experimentally, 90% of particles of 10, 15, 25, 50 and 200 micrometers were separated, while the filtration rate of small and large particles was observed to be 80%.

However, due to the fine channels, this cleaning process is a bit slow, but efforts are being made to improve it.