Shining Science@ShiningScience
🚨 A teen just created a filtration system that removes over 95% of microplastics from drinking water.
Mia Heller, an 18-year-old student at Kettle Run High School, took matters into her own hands after realizing that government agencies were not prioritizing filtration programs for plastic-contaminated water.
Frustrated by the maintenance-heavy and expensive membrane filters her parents used at home, Heller spent months in her garage designing a more efficient alternative. Her prototype, which is roughly the size of a standard home appliance, successfully eliminates 95.5% of microplastics—a performance level that rivals existing high-end commercial technologies but with significantly less waste.
The system utilizes a specialized magnetic liquid called ferrofluid that attaches to microscopic plastic particles ranging from one nanometer to five millimeters in size. As water flows through the device, a magnet pulls the ferrofluid-bound contaminants out, leaving behind clean drinking water while allowing the magnetic liquid to be recycled for future use. A finalist in the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, Heller envisions her low-cost, under-sink system hitting the consumer market to empower individual households against the rising health concerns linked to microplastic consumption.
source: Sheffield, T. (2026). High School Student, 18, Invents Water Filter That Eliminate 95.5% of Microplastics. PEOPLE.
