Microplastics are everywhere — in oceans, soil, and even your bloodstream. Now, researchers have engineered algae that act like microscopic sponges, pulling plastic pollution straight out of water.
The breakthrough centers on a modified strain of green algae that produces limonene — the same oil that gives oranges their scent. This oily coating makes the algae’s surface water-repellent, causing microplastics to stick to it almost magnetically.
How it works
In laboratory tests, the engineered algae removed over 90% of microplastics from contaminated water samples within hours. The process works through a simple mechanism:
- Microplastics are hydrophobic — they repel water
- The limonene-coated algae attracts them like oil attracts oil
- Once bound, the algae-plastic clumps can be easily filtered out
«Nature gave us the solution. We just had to amplify it,» the lead researcher said.
The algae are harvested after use and can be processed to recover both the biomass and the captured plastics. The team is now scaling the system for municipal water treatment plants.
Based on research published May 12, 2026.
