German company Wasser 3.0, however, thinks it may have found the answer to cleaning up microplastic pollution before it reaches the ocean — using a whirlpool and a specially developed hybrid silica gel. Courtesy Wasser 3.0 gGmbH | Philipp BrüderleThe hybrid silica gel consists of silicone-based chemicals called organosilanes, and is non-toxic, says Schuhen. During a 12-month trial at the Landau site, around 600 pounds of microplastics were removed, says Schuhen. Some scientists have suggested using magnetic fluids to separate microplastics from water or sticky film made of bacteria, but these processes are in their early stages. Schuhen says that Wasser 3.0 is an affordable, scalable and simple solution to the global problem of microplastic pollution.

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