According to a young, prize-winning Co. Cork inventor, combating climate change will only be possible if more people are educated to care about the environment and encouraged to come up with innovative solutions.

Fionn Ferreira, a chemistry master's student from Ballydehob in west Cork who previously won the Google Global Grand Prize and the European Inventors Award, just received a patent for his ground-breaking technique for eliminating microplastic particles from water.

The quantity of microplastic particles in the oceans, over 51 trillion, is 500 times more than the number of stars in our galaxy, according to the United Nations.

The 22-year-old is both greatly impacted by and motivated by the worldwide catastrophe of plastic garbage buildup.

Speaking close to where he lives in west Cork, he stated that growing up by the sea, he observed an increase in the quantity of plastic that washed up on the shore.

He was really troubled by this and made the decision to try to come up with a solution.

“There are a lot of places around the beach where microplastic is carried in by the water,” according to Fionn.

“Almost wherever you look, there are countless small filaments to be seen. Here, you can see one microscopic rope fibre. That is plastic, which is disintegrating into ever-tinier particles that will eventually be consumed by organisms.”

His simple yet efficient technique for eliminating microplastics from water has received praise.

He separates the microplastic particles from the water using a magnetic liquid combination that adheres to the particles, making it possible to remove them with magnets.

His most recent design may be used safely in drinking water and eliminated over 85% of microplastics.

The West Cork resident is presently collaborating with the University of Texas to scale up his innovation for usage in places like water treatment facilities and significant water outflow locations.