Min Wei Boey

1 Introduction Lithium, a white gold, is a critical enabling material for electrified transportation and grid-scale energy storage, and demand projections have intensified interest in expanding lithium supply beyond conventional hard‑rock mining and high‑grade continental brines [1-3].

Abstract Sub-10 µm microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments pose significant ecological and health risks due to their mobility and potential to carry harmful microcontaminants. Our effluent analysis from a Hong Kong Sewage Treatment Works shows that traditional treatment often fails to effectively remove these MPs. These small-sized MPs are commonly neglected due to challenges in accurate quantification, analysis, and removal.