Egg Whites—Even Omelets—Can Help Wipe Up Microplastics From Water Bodies

The war on microplastics polluting waterways has been a fight many scientists are trying to win. With the reach of the pollutants staining even rainfall over Antarctica, humanity has never been more pressed for a solution.

Now, scientists from Princeton University may have found an unlikely (and yummy) candidate to save the day: egg whites.
 
Yes, not only are they good for reducing cholesterol and losing weight, but it seems like the whites of eggs can also be turned into a lightweight aerogel that gets rid of microplastics and salt in water. 
 
The idea first sparked during a faculty meeting brought up by Craig Arnold, the Susan Dod Brown Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and vice dean of innovation at Princeton. Arnold recalls looking at a piece of bread during breakfast one morning and relating that the structure of the food was exactly what was needed to weed out the pollutant.
 
He brought the idea to the research team, and they experimented with a multitude of substances before landing on egg whites. Both fried and whipped work well.

 
According to the study published in Materials Today, for the experiment to work, the protein must be freeze-dried and heated in an oxygen-free environment. Then it is mixed with carbon fiber strands and graphene sheets. This removes 99% of microscopic plastics and 98% of salt.
 
Moreover, the solution is incredibly cheap to make and, unlike reverse osmosis, the filtration process only needs gravity for it to work. Therefore, no extra energy or excess water is wasted in the procedure. 
 
Other protein substitutes could also be used in its place so that the use of eggs would not disrupt the food supply.
 
However, one downside to the experiment is that salt had also been removed from the water. This could destabilize the ocean, but it might also be another solution to help produce filtrated water for communities with little access to drinking supplies.
 
The aerogel is not currently available for mass use, as the research team is finding new ways to refine the process and make it accessible to the public.
 
 
 
[via Engadget and Interesting Engineering, cover photo 194265947 © Pongsak Tiantad | Dreamstime.com]