Wood waste can help remove microplastics from water. Glyphosate, a widely-used and hazardous herbicide, is increasingly present in water, too.
Now, a research team from Brazil, where over 170 tonnes of these pesticides are used annually, is on the lookout for a sustainable removal.
Waste from sugar production, it seems, might just hold the key. First the team shredded sugar bagasse, and extracted the cellulose from it.
Next, they mixed cellulose fibres with ammonium compounds to create a material with a positive charge. This, in turn, was found to bind easily with the glyphosate molecules during the filtration process.
Incidentally, waste from aloe vera is a promising alternative to chemical agents and sugarcane a potential gamechanger in the construction industry.
