"The experiment that led to all of this unfolded a few years ago on a wet garage floor, littered with buckets, and with an investment of just 250 behind it. Root had rigged up a temperamental old washing machine with a homemade microplastic filter. I was turning this thing on and off with a broom handle; it was pissing water all over the place. I was terrified of electrocuting myself, he recalls. After a few dicey attempts, he says, I managed to get something"
A compact microplastics filter fits in the small space above a washing machine and connects to a pipe that draws in wastewater from wash cycles. After each cycle, the washing machine emits a whirring sound while the filter operates, and the device beeps when the canister needs emptying. The collected material forms a substantial grey mixture containing microfibres, skin cells, hair, and dust. The filter is designed to capture 97% of microfibres before they leave the washing machine. The technology is produced by Matter Industries, which has expanded to more than 30 European markets and the UK and plans to enter the US. Development began with a homemade setup using a small investment and an improvised washing machine in a garage.
#microplastics #laundry-wastewater-filtration #microfibres #environmental-technology #wastewater-treatment
Read at www.theguardian.com
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