Story perspectives

Boiling Hard Water: A Breakthrough in Plastic Removal

12/30/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Researchers from Guangzhou Medical and Jinan universities found that boiling hard tap water with plastics such as polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene forms calcium carbonate crystals around the plastics, which settle and remove up to 90% of nano- and microplastics.
The method is most effective in hard water.
They say the technique could reduce human intake of N-Methylpyrrolidones (NMPs) from drinking water and recommend wooden cutting boards and reducing plastic utensils.

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Story summary

Researchers from Guangzhou Medical and Jinan universities found that boiling hard tap water with plastics such as polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene forms calcium carbonate crystals around the plastics, which settle and remove up to 90% of nano- and microplastics.
The method is most effective in hard water.
They say the technique could reduce human intake of N-Methylpyrrolidones (NMPs) from drinking water and recommend wooden cutting boards and reducing plastic utensils.