OREANDA-NEWS Every year up to 14 million tons of plastic enters the ocean, 40% of which is considered “disposable”. It is disposed of in the same year in which it is produced. Most plastic never decomposes completely. It is fragmented into small pieces - microplastic.

In a new study, scientists describe nanotechnology that can deal with this problem: tiny magnetic coils create chemical reactions to destroy microplastics in the ocean. During this process, plastic is converted to carbon dioxide and water.

Coils are coated with nitrogen and manganese. These two chemical compounds interact with nanocoils to create highly reactive oxygen molecules, which act on microplastics. During this process, plastic turns into harmless salt compounds.