Virginia teenager Mia Heller’s filtration system harnesses the power of ferrofluid, a magnetic oil that binds to microplastics in flowing water. A few years ago, she came across an article in her local newspaper about ongoing water quality issues in her neighborhood in Warrenton, Virginia. Tests showed that the drinking water was highly contaminated with PFAS and microplastic pollution and further reported that government agencies would not be providing

any funds for filtering the water. Her parents bought an advanced water filtration system for their home, however, it required constant upkeep. That inspired her to design a filter without the use of membranes, to decrease the costs and maintenance needs associated with water filtration by creating a system that was able to basically clean itself. Read more.