Teen Wins $50,000 Science Fair Prize For His Method Of Extracting Microplastics From Water

August 2, 2019

An Irish teenager has won Google's 2019 Science Fair for his project focusing on extracting micros-plastics from water.

Fionn Ferreira / Credit: Google Science Fair

Fionn Ferreira, 18, won the $50,000 grand prize for using ferrofluids to remove microplastics from water.

The 10 most commonly found microplastics in wastewater were used his tests, including microfibres from washing machines and microbeads from cosmetic products.

The results obtained supported his hypothesis that with this method he could remove at least 85% of plastics from a sample.

"From the results, I conclude that my method would form the basis for an effective way of extracting microplastic from wastewater before the settling process in wastewater treatment centres," Ferreira said.

"Specifically, the method is very suitable for plastic industries and recycling plants who do not currently have a screening process."

Watch the video below.