Dr. Alicia An’s project funded by Marine Conservation Enhancement Fund

Dr. Alicia An has recently received the Marine Conservation Enhancement Fund for the project “Removal of Micro/Nano Plastic from Marine Environments Using Nanobubble”.

The increasing use of plastics has attracted significant attention in recent years due to their potential impacts on the marine environment. Therefore, the proposed project intends to develop an efficient and environmentally sustainable solution for the removal of the micro/nano-sized plastic particles in marine environments. The research study will investigate the optimal treatment conditions for segregation and removal of micro/nano plastics by applying nanobubble technology. Nanobubbles (NBs) are a facile and simple technology that can be used to float micro/nano particles, minerals, and aqueous pollutants from water bodies. As these plastics have already been found in the waters of Hong Kong and recent research has found the presence of MPs near the Lantau Island is significant, with the suspected abundance of MP in seashore organism reaching 2.23 particle/g, there is a urgent need for an efficient and economically viable project for the removal of the micro/nano plastics to protect the environment and human health.