Microplastics and surfactant purifier: Innovative Janus branch filter for washing machines
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Microplastics have been recognized as an emerging pollutant because of their widespread dispersion in the air, soil, and, notably, the aquatic ecosystem. The highest percentage of MPs released into the environment occurs through daily laundry. The average weight of dreg obtained from 5 kg of laundry was 1.26 g/kg. According to energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) analyses, the dreg consisted of MPs (78.3–89 wt%, organic elements: C/O) and alien materials (11–21.7 wt%, inorganic elements: Al/Fe/Ca, etc.). Thus, to reproduce the real environment, alien materials (Fe3O4 and CaCO3) were added to various types of model MPs in the presence and absence of sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS) to test MP removal. Hydrophobic and hydrophilic MPs were generated upon laundering, accounting for 55–59% and 41–45% of MPs, respectively. We provide a novel approach to design a laundry filter system for the simultaneous removal of SDBS and hydrophilic/hydrophobic MPs.