Fighting plastic pollution

Hope has been presented in the form of a robot fish that “eats” microplastics developed by Chinese scientists

Contemporary research indicates that microplastics — plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters — have moved into “virtually every crevice on Earth.” They have polluted the soil and the water, including oceans and rivers, and have entered the animal kingdom as significant amounts of microplastic have been detected in both warm- and cold-blooded animals.

The proliferation of plastic waste around the world has also affected humans. Earlier this year, scientists found a healthy amount of microplastics in human blood for the first time — in almost 80% of the people tested. While the extent of the harm is yet to be ascertained, it is believed that these plastic particles may cause damage to cells and accumulate in organs. The use and abuse of plastics has caused much damage to ecological systems and species worldwide. This failure is partly the result of our unwillingness to switch to alternative means and partly because of the lack of cheap and useful technology to initiate clean-up projects. However, hope has been presented in the form of a robot fish that “eats” microplastics. The Chinese scientists that designed these miniaturised robots hope that one day it will be used to help clean up the world’s polluted oceans. Not only can these robots, if eaten by other fish, be digested without harm but they can absorb pollutants and recover themselves when damaged. Moreover, they can also be used to access marine pollution in real-time, helping countries monitor their rivers and lakes.

This is indeed a one-of-a-kind and well thought project that the world desperately needs to invest in. Pakistan too can leverage its strategic partnership with China to invest in and acquire such technology to fight plastic pollution in its own backyard.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2022.

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