• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Monday, October 27, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Biology

Scientists find solution to measure harmful plastic particles in human sewage

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
May 26, 2021
in Biology
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
IMAGE
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

IMAGE

Credit: University of Portsmouth

Scientists have got up close and personal with human sewage to determine how best to measure hidden and potentially dangerous plastics.

As the way microplastics are measured and counted varies from place to place, there is no agreed understanding of the weight of the problem. Until scientists can agree on one way of measuring them, life on land and sea will continue to ingest who knows how much plastic, affecting health for generations.

A new study, published today in Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, by the University of Portsmouth has examined one method, using a chemical solution called ‘Fenton reagent’ to remove organic matter from sewage. It found it has significant advantages in processing times and costs over other currently available methods of testing.

Project Lead Dr Fay Couceiro, Senior Research Fellow in Biogeochemistry at the University of Portsmouth, said: “Multiple digestion with Fenton reagent involves mixing the sewage with hydrogen peroxide and iron sulphide multiple times to breakdown the organic matter. When followed by density separation, where you float off the plastics from everything else, it provides a cleaner sample so the size and type of microplastic can be determined with much less interference.”

Professor Steve Fletcher, Director of the University’s Revolution Plastics initiative, said: “Having some idea of the amount of microplastics in the environment is key to understanding and stopping the potential harmful impacts that this new category of emerging pollutants could have on life on earth. The need for protocols that are robust, simple and reliable together with their standardisation are of crucial importance in the fight against plastic pollution.”

The study targeted the detection of microplastics in the sub-hundred-micron size range, which often get missed because of their tiny size, yet they have potentially higher health risks associated with them. This size of particle also has limited data available from previous wastewater research.

To show the value of this method, samples of raw sewage, final effluent and sludge were mixed with two different sizes and types of microplastics. The multiple digestion with Fenton reagent method showed good recovery of the added microplastics. Considering the various stages required for the separation of microplastics, time is a limiting factor in sample processing. The multiple digestion using Fenton reagent is an inexpensive and time-efficient procedure compared to other currently available methods when analysing large numbers of samples.

Dr Couceiro says: “The Fenton reagent method used in this study has huge potential for bringing about a much needed standardistation of the measuring of microplastics. Without being able to compare and contrast concentrations of microplastics, our ability to make significant strides forward in limiting pollution will be restricted. We would welcome further research that could investigate other types of plastics and the recovering of even smaller plastic particles.”

###

Media Contact
Emma Gaisford
[email protected]

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00216-021-03331-6

Tags: BiochemistryBiodiversityBiologyBiotechnologyEcology/EnvironmentMarine/Freshwater BiologyMicrobiologyPollution/RemediationPolymer Chemistry
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Impact of Nitrogen Stress on Tobacco Metabolism

Impact of Nitrogen Stress on Tobacco Metabolism

October 27, 2025
Once Tadpoles Lose Their Lungs, They Never Regrow Them, Scientists Find

Once Tadpoles Lose Their Lungs, They Never Regrow Them, Scientists Find

October 27, 2025

Cloud Relay Boosts Blockchain Logging for IoT Fermentation

October 27, 2025

How Uptake of DNA Fragments from Dying Cells Could Transform Mammalian Evolution and Genomics

October 27, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Sperm MicroRNAs: Crucial Mediators of Paternal Exercise Capacity Transmission

    1286 shares
    Share 514 Tweet 321
  • Stinkbug Leg Organ Hosts Symbiotic Fungi That Protect Eggs from Parasitic Wasps

    310 shares
    Share 124 Tweet 78
  • ESMO 2025: mRNA COVID Vaccines Enhance Efficacy of Cancer Immunotherapy

    197 shares
    Share 79 Tweet 49
  • New Study Suggests ALS and MS May Stem from Common Environmental Factor

    134 shares
    Share 54 Tweet 34

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome: SARS-CoV-2-Triggered Kawasaki Disease

Beyond Electronics: Utilizing Light to Accelerate Computing Technology

Probiotics Alleviate Ovarian Toxicity in Endotoxemic Mice

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 67 other subscribers
  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.