Dr. Sushanta Mitra, a professor in the department, along with two professors in chemical engineering, have been awarded $600,000 by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) through the Call for Proposals on Plastics Science and Innovation for a Cleaner and More Sustainable Future.
Inspired by the way coral mucus naturally traps tiny particles, the team is building a low-cost device that offers real-time detection and replaces conventional laboratory methods that typically take up to 72 hours with rapid, in-the-field monitoring. The device's data will help pinpoint pollution sources to help meet the regulations' goal of zero plastic waste by 2030.
Learn more about the award and the work taking place in Researchers receive funding for microplastic detection breakthrough on Engineering News.