Use of banana tree cellulose pulp for the removal of microplastics from contaminated water

In our society, with progressively marked ecological and sustainability values, there is a growing concern about the increase in plastic production, which every year tends to accumulate in the environment in the form of nano or microplastics (MPs), who have an impact on especially marine ecosystems, putting many species at risk due to bioaccumulation processes. In this project, simple biofilters were produced from banana pulp and nanomodified biofilters with
exopolymers from microalgae and bacteria, and their efficiency for the PM retention was tested. This eco-technology has shown very promising results, minimizing the release of PMs into the environment, and valuing a very abundant waste on the island of Madeira, thus contributing to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.