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Environment

Tiny magnets could help rid the ocean of harmful microplastics

By Chris Stokel-Walker

16 August 2019

Plastic in the ocean

Small pieces of plastic do marine animals no good at all

Tunatura/Getty

An army of tiny magnetic coils could dissolve microplastics from water, and possibly help us clean up waterways and oceans.

Microplastics are used in all sorts of cosmetics and household products, and they have spread into the ocean. Once there, they they can damage the environment. For instance, they can be ingested by marine life.

Some people have suggested ways of getting plastic out of the ocean, including a team for the Netherlands that wants to use a string of sausage-shaped floats to trap substantial pieces of…

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