Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF -Fri-Yay/Good News

~ John W. Howell
Justin Huang and Victoria Ou – credit Chris Ayers / Society for Science / ISEF

Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network. This story was brought to my attention by Noelle Granger. Thanks, Noelle.

Teens Invent Device that Removes Microplastics with Ultrasound Waves, Winning $50k

By Andy Corbley–

A pair of high schoolers invented a unique water filtration device that uses a wall of sound to hold back microplastic particles from running water.

In lab tests, the acoustic force from the high-frequency sound waves removed between 84% and 94% of the suspended microplastic particles in a single pass, and they are using the reward money from a prestigious prize to attempt to scale up their invention.

Without beating a dead horse, microplastic particles are everywhere on Earth—raining down from the jetstream, blowing up to the summit of Everest, and located at the deepest points of the ocean. Once ingested by humans, they have been found to infiltrate every organ that has been examined for them so far.

Addressing this pan contaminant is a monumental challenge, but high schoolers Justin Huang and Victoria Ou of Woodlands, Texas, may have a clever solution.

Using ultrasonic sound waves that move freely through the water, the teens have managed to capture as much as 94% of microplastic contaminants by pushing them away from the water’s outflow point.

Their device is no bigger than a pen and improves on other designs that have tried to use ultrasonic waves to address microplastics in wastewater and drinking water.

“This is the first year we’ve done this,” Huang told Business Insider backstage after receiving their award. “If we could refine this—maybe use more professional equipment, maybe go to a lab instead of testing from our home—we could really improve our device and get it ready for large-scale manufacturing.”

Ou and Huang presented their work at last week’s Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles, during which they won the Gordon E. Moore Award for Positive Outcomes for Future Generations worth $50,000.

They also picked up first place in their Google-sponsored category, Earth and Environmental Sciences.

“This is a pretty new approach. We only found one study that was trying to use ultrasound to predict the flow of particles in water, but it didn’t completely filter them out yet,” said Ou, who has known Huang since elementary school.

In developing their device, the pair visited wastewater and sewage treatment plants near their home and asked how they regulated microplastics. The answer they received was somewhat of a surprise: the plant had no such regulations in place. For starters, there isn’t a cost-effective means of doing so, and also the United States EPA doesn’t have regulations for microplastic contaminants in the water.

Ou and Huang believe their technology could be used in wastewater treatment plants like the one they visited, industrial textile plants, and rural water sources. On a smaller scale, it could filter microplastics in laundry machines and even fish tanks.

Justin and Victoria explain their device in the following video.

The good news about this story is the fact that young people are asking questions about the status quo and then doing something about situations they find needing improvement. Today’s John Ku talks about questioning the way things are done. I hope you have a beautiful weekend.

Status Quo by John W. Howell © 2024

If the question asked,

Does not have a good answer . . .

Find a solution.

82 thoughts on “Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF -Fri-Yay/Good News”

  2. Well done, Justin and Victoria, all they need now is for the big commercial companies to either keep their greedy paws off, or cooperate and not block their invention the way they did for alternatives to petroleum products that have contributed to today’s climate problems.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. What brilliant teenagers, they are! This is a fantastic story, John. Tell me again that today’s youth don’t care? I think not!

    Have a marvellous weekend, you too!

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Wow, these two are amazing — gives you lots of faith in our planet’s future to know that young people are coming up with solutions to problems. Well done on the JohnKu, too!

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Impressive youngsters making a difference! 👏🏻 I was working at a video store when I was in high school. 😆 There is hope for humanity with “kids” like this at the wheel! Thanks for sharing some hope, John.

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Gee, how great that these 2 young brainiacs have put their energy into this project.

    They seem to have a lot of faith and vigour in their project, which leads me to believe they will take this project further.

    Hopefully some corporation doesn’t rip them off.

    A credit card of plastic into my body every day? YIKES!

    As per your JohnKu, these 2 are finding a solution.

    Thanks John!

    Liked by 1 person

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