“The bottled water market saw 73% growth from 2010 to 2020, and consumption is on track to increase from around 350 billion litres in 2021 to 460 billion litres by 2030” (Dickie, March 2023, para. 2).

The Rise of Bottled Water

Factors like convenience, taste, and the element of perceived safety drive the increase in bottled water consumption

There are records of bottled water sold as early as 1767, but its demand rose in the 19th century. The majority of buyers were people who could afford the glass-dipped bottles or those who used them to avoid diseases such as:

• Cholera
• Typhoid
• Dysentery

In 1986, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported high lead levels in many public water systems. Coupled with the invention of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles in 1973, many began to distrust public tap water and switched to bottled water.

The fears about water sources aren’t always unfounded. Even now, over 80 percent of illnesses in the developing world are linked to and made worse by water problems. Natural disasters can pollute water sources, and lead poisoning can pose serious problems. All of these affect communities and people.

This could lead someone to think bottled water is the better choice, but is that true?

What’s in Our Bottled Water?

New research states that bottled water has higher amounts of microplastics than previously thought. Microplastics are tiny pieces of broken-down plastic (less than five millimeters in length). They come from different sources:

• Larger debris and trash
• Microbeads
• Beauty and healthcare products
• Textiles e.g., fishing nets
• Water bottles

Recent studies have also shown even smaller pieces (between one nanometer and one micron) of plastic called nanoplastics. The results found that a one-liter water bottle may contain an average of 240,000 plastic pieces. This is compared to a 2018 study that cited only 300 plastic pieces.

Nanoplastics have different effects compared to microplastics:

• They can pass through the intestines and lungs into the bloodstream.
• They can travel to different organs.
• They can invade individual cells.
• They can cross through the placenta into an unborn baby.

While some of the plastic found in water predates bottling, bottled water contains higher amounts of plastic than in other sources.

Bottled Water in Water-stressed Areas

Water stress occurs when the demand for water surpasses what is available. This includes temporary periods of zero access and poor quality water. Over two billion people live in water-stressed places, and over 40 percent of people globally don’t have access at all. Sadly, as climate change and population growth continue to occur, this will only get worse.

As natural sources of water vary in quality or amount, people begin to rely on other sources. In short, people start seeing bottled water as a “safe” water supply option. As a result, the global bottled water market has grown 73 percent from 2010 to 2020 with no end in sight. In 2022 alone, 15.9 billion gallons of bottled water were sold in the United States. And it is likely to increase to 460 billion liters by 2030.

How Regulated is Bottled Water?

In addition, bottled water quality is not as regulated as we think. About 25 percent or more of bottled water is just tap water. Tap water is regulated by the EPA, which must disclose its testing results to the public.

Bottled water, however, is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a food product. The FDA doesn’t compel bottling companies to use licensed laboratories for water quality testing or to report test findings. Although the FDA looks to the EPA for some rulings, they don’t follow exact standards.

Looking Ahead

This issue is not new and continues to cause concern. We are trying to improve the quality of water and reduce microplastics. But the fact stands that environmental and health effects are a problem.

With higher bottled water prices, more plastics found in the water, and the environmental effects of making the plastic, a change is necessary. There are cases where people have to drink whatever water they find, but those who have a choice can choose a better way.

Plastic waste – Global concern, A Two-Pronged Approach, Including technology

Plastic is everywhere: plastic litters landscapes, clogs rivers, and forms islands in the ocean such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. At the same time, plastic fibers continue to poison marine life and humans. For example, studies have found that 94 percent of our drinking water and 93 percent of sampled bottled water worldwide are full of plastic particles and chemicals. Many of these chemicals are linked to cancer, premature puberty, reduced immunity, birth defects, endocrine disruption, insulin resistance, and other major diseases.1 But banning plastic material can’t solve this global problem. So, what can? A holistic approach may solve this problem. This plastic pollution solution includes limiting single-use plastics and new technologies. Many scientists are researching whether we can turn plastic into fuel,2 fibers, or construction material. Here, we will talk about a new technology to combat this water problem: turning plastic bottles into a supermaterial called aerogel.

Plastic Pollution Solution: Recycle Plastic Waste to Supermaterial Called Aerogel

Manufacturers commonly make plastic bottles from polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Overall, PET ranks as the most recycled plastic in the world. In sum, there is a lot of PET from plastic bottle waste. As a result, what we do with this plastic matters a lot for how much pollution ends up in our water. So, what could we do with this kind of plastic?

Take a super-material with many applications called “aerogel.” In short, aerogel is a see-through, very strong solid that is a gel with the liquid taken out of it and air/gas put into it.3,4 Recently, a team at the National University of Singapore developed PET aerogels that are derived from plastic bottle waste. In sum, these PET aerogels are soft, flexible, durable, extremely light, and easy-to-handle.

Because plastic bottle waste is among the most common types of plastic waste, the National University of Singapore team focused on that problem. According to Associate Professor Duong, the team developed “a simple, cost-effective and green method to convert plastic bottle waste into PET aerogels for many exciting uses.”5 For example, with this method, one plastic bottle can be used to produce an A4-sized PET aerogel sheet. What’s more, this technology can be scaled for mass production easily.5

The Supermaterial Called Aerogel has Many Uses

Equally important, people can use ultralight aerogels for many commercial purposes:

-heat insulation
-sound insulation
-oil spill cleaning
-lightweight lining for firefighter coats

Perhaps most importantly, aerogels can be used for carbon dioxide absorption masks that could be used during fire rescue operations and fire escape.5

What We Need to do to be Part of the Plastic Pollution Solution

Now, we know that recycling alone, in its present form, does not work to fix our water pollution problem. Which is to say, we could stop using plastics. In addition, we must find other ways to dispose of plastic waste in a more sustainable way. As shown above, reprocessing the plastic using technology would help cut the amount of waste that ends up as pollution in our water.

But, long-term, even if we recycle plastic bottles through using this new technology to make it aerogels, we will still be shedding millions of microfibers and microplastics by washing synthetic clothes and wearing down tyres.6 Instead, we need to explore more possible alternatives like re-using plastics in large-scale engineering projects such as road and building construction.

What you can do to be part of the plastic pollution solution:

1. Stop using plastic bottles to reduce.
2. Use the least amount of plastic that you can.
3. Try to only use reusable plastic.
4. Try to wear natural fabrics.
5. Support innovative water treatment technologies.
6. Share this information with your family, friends, and neighbors.
7. You can learn more about STWTM’s innovative water treatment technologies here and here.

References

1. Chris Tyree and Dan Morrison. 2017. “Invisibles: The plastic inside us.” https://orbmedia.org/stories/Invisibles_plastics/
2. Jacopo Prisco. July 21, 2016. “Scientists turn old plastic bottles into fuel.” CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/21/world/turning-plastic-into-fuel/index.html
3. Tori Woods. July 28, 2011, last updated Aug. 7, 2017. “Aerogels: Thinner, Lighter, Stronger.” NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/aerogels.html
4. Merriam-webster. “aerogel.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aerogel
   National University of Singapore. November 2, 2018. “Researchers turn plastic bottle waste into ultralight supermaterial.” ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181102095455.htm
5. Francesca De Falco, et al. May 2018. Evaluation of microplastic release caused by textile washing processes of synthetic fabrics. Environmental Pollution, 236: 916-925. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749117309387?via%3Dihub