The new material builds on the university’s earlier research into microplastic filtration by expanding its capabilities to capture much smaller plastic particles while also removing a broad range of chemical contaminants.
The technology has already been tested under realistic wastewater conditions and integrated with a recovery system designed for repeated use.
Laboratory and pilot-scale testing demonstrated removal rates exceeding 95% for microplastics, nanoplastics and several other pollutants within one hour.
The findings suggest the technology could help address increasingly stringent environmental regulations surrounding PFAS and microplastics removal, while offering a more practical solution for industrial and municipal water treatment.
Advancing PFAS and microplastics removal
Microplastics and nanoplastics have become an emerging environmental challenge as evidence continues to grow of their presence in drinking water, rivers, oceans and wastewater systems.
Their extremely small size makes them particularly difficult to remove using conventional treatment technologies.
RMIT’s latest innovation was specifically designed to overcome this limitation by targeting particles as small as 30 nanometres while maintaining performance under conditions representative of real-world treatment facilities.
Alongside plastic particles, the material demonstrated strong performance against a range of dissolved contaminants, including mercury, chromium, copper, dyes and pharmaceutical residues such as ibuprofen.
Tests also showed encouraging early-stage removal of larger PFAS molecules, although researchers note that further development is needed before the technology can comprehensively tackle the wider family of PFAS chemicals.
High removal rates in laboratory testing
During controlled laboratory trials, the adsorbent eliminated more than 95% of microplastics and nanoplastics within 60 minutes.
Approximately 80% of contaminants were captured during the first 15 minutes, matching the contact times typically used in existing water treatment operations.
The material remained effective across multiple commonly used plastics, including polyethene, polypropylene and polyester. It also maintained performance in both freshwater and saline water, demonstrating versatility for different treatment applications.
Capturing nanoplastics is particularly important because these particles are far smaller than conventional microplastics and are considerably more difficult to filter using existing technologies.
Successful performance in industrial wastewater
Researchers also evaluated the technology using wastewater from industrial laundry facilities, one of the largest contributors of synthetic microfibres entering waterways.
Despite the presence of surfactants and other organic substances that often reduce treatment efficiency, the material removed more than 88% of polyester microfibres while simultaneously reducing dye contamination.
The study further demonstrated that combining the adsorbent with magnetic separation technology enabled rapid recovery of the treatment material after use.
Recovering and reusing treatment media is widely considered one of the major barriers preventing advanced water purification technologies from moving beyond laboratory testing.
Lower costs support commercial potential
The latest version represents a substantial improvement over the team’s original 2022 breakthrough.
Researchers have expanded the material’s ability to capture contaminants ranging from nanoscale plastics to larger fibres while simultaneously removing dissolved pollutants.
Testing also achieved removal rates of up to 90% for mixed contaminant streams, with complete removal of textile fibres observed in certain wastewater samples.
Manufacturing has also become considerably more efficient. A room-temperature production process increased output fivefold while reducing reliance on expensive raw materials.
Early economic assessments indicate production costs could be around 75% lower than previous versions, while the material itself can be regenerated and reused multiple times.
Industry partnerships target real-world deployment
To accelerate commercial adoption, RMIT is collaborating with Fire and Test Australasia to explore stormwater and wastewater treatment applications, including systems suitable for regional and community use.
The university is also working with Star Water Group, whose operations extend into the United States, where tightening environmental regulations are increasing demand for improved PFAS and microplastics removal technologies.
Potential applications include textile manufacturing, industrial wastewater treatment, municipal treatment plants, stormwater management and decentralised water purification systems.
By combining high contaminant removal rates, reusable materials and lower production costs, the technology represents a promising step towards scalable solutions for tackling some of the most persistent pollutants affecting global water supplies.
