PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Research update: Okra, fenugreek extracts remove most microplastics from water

2025-05-06
(Press-News.org) The substances behind the slimy strings from okra and the gel from fenugreek seeds could trap microplastics better than a commonly used synthetic polymer. Previously, researchers proposed using these sticky natural polymers to clean up water. Now, they report in ACS Omega that okra and/or fenugreek extracts attracted and removed up to 90% of microplastics in ocean water, freshwater and groundwater.

Rajani Srinivasan and colleagues have been exploring nontoxic, plant-based approaches to attract and remove contaminants from water. In one set of lab experiments, they found that polymers from okra, fenugreek and tamarind stick to microplastics, clumping together and sinking for easy separation from water. Srinivasan spoke about successful demonstrations of the plant extracts in freshwater and ocean water at ACS Spring 2022, a meeting of the American Chemical Society. In this next stage of the research, they have optimized the process for okra and fenugreek extracts in various types of water.

To extract the sticky plant polymers, the team soaked sliced okra pods and blended fenugreek seeds in separate containers of water overnight. Then, researchers removed the dissolved extracts from each solution and dried them into powders. Analyses showed that the powdered extracts contained polysaccharides, which are natural polymers. Initial tests in pure water spiked with microplastics showed that:

One gram of either powder in a quart (one liter) of water trapped microplastics the most effectively. Dried okra and fenugreek extracts removed 67% and 93%, respectively, of the plastic in an hour. A mixture of equal parts okra and fenugreek powder reached maximum removal efficiency (70%) within 30 minutes. The natural polymers performed significantly better than the synthetic, commercially available polyacrylamide polymer used in wastewater treatment. Then the researchers tested the plant extracts on real microplastic-polluted water. They collected samples from waterbodies around Texas and brought them to the lab. The plant extract removal efficiency changed depending on the original water source: Okra worked best in ocean water (80%), fenugreek in groundwater (80-90%), and the 1:1 combination of okra and fenugreek in freshwater (77%). The researchers hypothesize that the natural polymers had different efficiencies because each water sample had different types, sizes and shapes of microplastics.

Polyacrylamide is currently used to remove contaminants during wastewater treatment, but the researchers say that okra and fenugreek extracts could serve as biodegradable and nontoxic alternatives.   

“Utilizing these plant-based extracts in water treatment will remove microplastics and other pollutants without introducing additional toxic substances to the treated water,” says Srinivasan, “thus reducing long-term health risks to the population.”

The authors acknowledge funding from the U.S. Department of Energy; Tarleton State University; High Plains Water District located in Lubbock, Texas; the Burnaby Munson Endowed Research Professorship; the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program; and the Welch Foundation.

###

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1876 and chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is committed to improving all lives through the transforming power of chemistry. Its mission is to advance scientific knowledge, empower a global community and champion scientific integrity, and its vision is a world built on science. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, e-books and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

Registered journalists can subscribe to the ACS journalist news portal on EurekAlert! to access embargoed and public science press releases. For media inquiries, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Note: ACS does not conduct research but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies.

Follow us: Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Heat and drought are quietly hurting crop yields

2025-05-06
More frequent hot weather and droughts have dealt a significant blow to crop yields, especially for key grains like wheat, barley, and maize, according to a Stanford study published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The analysis finds that warming and air dryness – a key factor in crop stress – have surged in nearly every major agricultural region, with some areas experiencing growing seasons hotter than nearly any season 50 years ago. The study also pointed to two important ways that models have missed the mark ...

Gender characteristics of service robots can influence customer decisions

2025-05-06
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The hospitality industry can leverage the gender characteristics of service robots to influence customers’ decisions, according to new research from a team in the Penn State School of Hospitality Management. Service robots with characteristics typically associated with males may be more persuasive when interacting with women who have a low sense of power, according to the researchers. The team also found that “cute” features in the design of robots — such as big eyes and raised cheeks — may reduce the effect of portrayed robot gender on persuasiveness, as male and female ...

Ultra-thin bismuth holds unexpected promise for green electronics: researcher

2025-05-06
Electronic devices rely on materials whose electrical properties change with temperature, making them less stable in extreme conditions. A discovery by McGill University researchers that challenges conventional wisdom in physics suggests that bismuth, a metal, could serve as the foundation for highly stable electronic components. The researchers observed a mysterious electrical effect in ultra-thin bismuth that remains unchanged across a wide temperature range, from near absolute zero (-273°C) to room temperature. “If we can harness this, it could become important for green electronics,” said Guillaume ...

Discovery: a better, more targeted termite terminator

2025-05-06
Drywood termites, the ones that hide in wooden structures, molt about seven times in their lives. UC Riverside researchers have found a chemical preventing them from growing new exoskeletons will also end their infestation of your home. The chemical, bistrifluron, and its ability to kill about 95 percent of a termite colony without off-target effects on mammals, are documented in a paper published in the Journal of Economic Entomology. “This chemical is more environmentally friendly than ones traditionally used for drywood termite infestations,” said Nicholas Poulos, corresponding author of the paper and a doctoral student in UCR’s Department of Entomology. ...

Researchers harness brain activity to look at how we perceive faces from other racial groups differently

2025-05-06
U of T Scarborough researchers have harnessed artificial intelligence (AI) and brain activity to shed new light on why we struggle to accurately recognize faces of people from different races.  Across a pair of studies, researchers explored the Other-Race-Effect (ORE), a well-known phenomenon in which people recognize faces of their own race more easily than others. They combined AI and brain activity collected through EEG (electroencephalography) to reveal new insights into how we perceive other-race faces, including visual distortions more deeply ingrained in our brain than previously ...

New research finds leadership-backed training key to better policing

2025-05-06
BALTIMORE, MD, May 6, 2025 – As communities across the U.S. continue grappling with public safety and police reform, a new study published in the INFORMS journal Management Science offers compelling evidence for a path forward: procedural justice training for police officers, backed by leadership support, can significantly improve officer behavior and strengthen community trust. “At a time when communities are calling for both safer streets and meaningful police reform, our findings offer an important starting point,” says Rodrigo Canales, lead author of the study and professor at Boston University. “When backed by leadership, ...

Slickrock: USU geologists explore why Utah's Wasatch Fault is vulnerable to earthquakes

2025-05-06
LOGAN, UTAH, USA -- About 240 miles long, Utah’s Wasatch Fault stretches along the western edge of the Wasatch Mountains from southern Idaho to central Utah, running through Salt Lake City and the state’s other population centers. It’s a seismically active normal fault, which means it is a fracture in the Earth’s crust that has moved many times in the past. “Normal faults are observed along different tectonic systems, where the tectonic plates are moving apart,” says Utah ...

„Looking Through Objects. Women in Contemporary Polish Design” – exhibition at Design Museum Brussels

2025-05-06
„Looking Through Objects. Women in Contemporary Polish Design” – exhibition at Design Museum Brussels The traveling exhibition spotlighting Polish women designers is making its way to Belgium. Opening on May 8 at Design Museum Brussels, Looking Through Objects brings together works of 16 creatives who have been shaping the evolving landscape of Polish design. The curatorial team behind the show includes Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka, dean of Faculty Design at SWPS University in Warsaw, along with Gian Luca Amadei and Dario Lombardi.  A story of women shaping Polish ...

NCCN Policy Summit builds bridges between primary care and oncology for better cancer outcomes

2025-05-06
WASHINGTON, D.C. [May 6, 2025] — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) hosted an Oncology Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., today, focused on improving care coordination between primary care and oncology providers. The program featured a diverse group of patients, advocates, practitioners, and policy makers weighing in on how to improve cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and long-term survival. Elizabeth Fowler, PhD, JD, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, former Deputy Administrator and Director of the Innovation ...

Physician-led online nutrition intervention program is practical, cost-effective, and successful at improving patient health

2025-05-06
WASHINGTON, D.C.—An online physician-led plant-based nutrition intervention program for patients with type 2 diabetes is practical, cost-effective, and successful at improving patient health, finds a new study by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. The program led to reductions in diabetes medications, body weight, A1C, and total and LDL cholesterol levels. “An abundance of research already shows that a plant-based diet is optimal for helping patients ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Models predict severity of pneumonia in kids to help guide treatment

Mindfulness course effective in people with difficult-to-treat depression

Insurer exits after the Inflation Reduction Act Part D redesign

Researchers gain insights into the brain’s ‘dimmer switch’

Brain scans reveal what happens in the mind when insight strikes

Loss of Medicare Part D subsidy linked to higher mortality among low-income older adults

Persistent mucus plugs linked to faster decline in lung function for patients with COPD

Incomplete team staffing, burnout, and work intentions among US physicians

The key to spotting dyslexia early could be AI-powered handwriting analysis

New nanoparticle could make cancer treatment safer, more effective

A new study provides insights into cleaning up noise in quantum entanglement

Artificial intelligence and genetics can help farmers grow corn with less fertilizer

Daratumumab may help cancer patients with low physical function to live longer, study finds

Stranger things: How Netflix teaches economics

Energy and memory: A new neural network paradigm

How we think about protecting data

AAN issues Evidence in Focus article on Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy

Could a mini-stroke leave lasting fatigue?

Is it time to redefine the public health workforce? New research proposes a broader, more inclusive approach

Tiny gas bubbles reveal secrets of Hawaiian volcanoes

Gelada monkeys understand complex "conversations" involving distress calls and prosocial comforting responses, exhibiting surprise when such vocal exchanges are manipulated to violate their expectatio

New poison dart frog discovered in the Amazon's Juruá River basin is blue with copper-colored legs, and represents one of just two novel Ranitomeya species in a decade

Shifting pollution abroad is a major reason why democratic countries are rated more environmentally friendly compared to non-democratic states

Groups of AI agents spontaneously form their own social norms without human help, suggests study

Different ways of ‘getting a grip’

Handy octopus robot can adapt to its surroundings

The ripple effect of small earthquakes near major faults

Mass General Brigham researchers pinpoint ‘sweet spot’ for focused ultrasound to provide essential tremor relief

MRI scans could help detect life-threatening heart disease

NASA’s Magellan mission reveals possible tectonic activity on Venus

[Press-News.org] Research update: Okra, fenugreek extracts remove most microplastics from water