The Undergraduate Research Journal
Abstract
We could be swallowing a credit card's weight in plastic every week. Microplastic water pollution is becoming a threat to both humans and aquatic creatures. In this research, microplastic water contamination is discussed, and divergent solutions are proposed. This paper attempts to investigate the causes and effects of such pollution and analyze the current solutions for this issue. The adopted research method is secondary research, where several studies are explored and analyzed. This study explains numerous causes for this issue like cosmetics, cleaning products, factories, and sewage. Consequently, this contamination can negatively impact the organs and metabolisms of the living organisms due to either physical or chemical exposure to the microplastics. The solutions mentioned in the paper were divergent and span across various fields, including electrocoagulation (removing microplastics using electricity), chemical coagulation (removing microplastics using chemicals), and magnetic removal (removing microplastics using magnetic force). In fact, the findings were promising, and many solutions were found, with removal efficiency reaching more than 90%. Those solutions were eco-friendly and could be applied to real life and in different countries. Egypt is one of those countries in which the solutions can be constructed. Egypt has enough resources, labor, and experts to adopt such projects. Over and above, this will cope with Egypt Vision 2030. It was realized that microplastic pollution is a disastrous global matter that needs more attention and steps toward reducing its dangers to the existence of human beings.
Document Type
Essay
Department
Rhetoric and Composition Department
Recommended Citation
Abouserie, Mohanad
(2023)
"Microplastics in water, their effects on the aquatic ecosystem and human public health, and the proposed solutions,"
The Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 9, Article 4.
Available at:
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/urje/vol9/iss1/4
Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval
Not necessary for this item
Included in
Chemistry Commons, Environmental Health Commons, Environmental Sciences Commons, Physics Commons, Public Health Commons