A team of specialists from CONICET at the Institute of Research in Science and Technology of Materials (INTEMA) in Mar del Plata is developing an innovative household device capable of removing micro- and nanoplastics. The project, led by Argentine scientist Carla di Luca, won the 2025 Franco-Argentina Distinction in Innovation and aims to address a growing global concern: the detection of micro- and nanoplastics in drinking water. These particles can enter living organisms and accumulate in tissues, potentially causing long-term adverse effects. The device combines two water treatment stages: a first activation or pre-treatment stage, using UVC photolysis to prepare the micro- and nanoplastics for removal; and a second capture stage, using adsorption with low-cost materials developed from local industrial waste. Currently, the project is in a research and validation phase at the laboratory scale.
