Fish biology inspires laundry microplastics clean up

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Drawing inspiration from the ocean’s inhabitants, inventors have developed a novel filter to capture microplastics released during laundry cycles. This innovation addresses a significant environmental concern, where synthetic clothes shed millions of tiny fibres each time they are washed, contributing heavily to ocean pollution.

Microplastics from household laundry are now recognized as a leading cause of contamination in aquatic ecosystems. A single synthetic garment can emit as many as 1.5 million fibres in just one wash. The challenge researchers faced was designing an effective filter that wouldn’t clog easily, unlike many current models on the market. This led a team of young innovators from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio to study manta rays, whose mouth structure efficiently traps plankton by creating swirling water currents.

Inspired by this natural mechanism, the inventors created the Vortx filter. Utilizing tiny vortices, this patented device funnels captured microplastics into a disposable pod and boasts an efficiency rate three times greater than traditional laundry filters. Their design overcomes previous issues with clogging and offers a clever, nature-inspired approach to mitigating microplastic pollution.

The CEO Max Pennington, with co-founders Chip Miller and David Dillman, launched a startup called Cleanr to bring their invention to market. Their filter, priced at $359 (£269), is fitted atop conventional washing machines in the US. While the cost and disposal methods pose challenges, Pennington envisions a future where microfibre filters become mandatory in all new washing machines. Several US states, including Pennsylvania, Oregon, and California, are already considering legislation to regulate the use of such devices. “Legislators are starting to realise that we really need to cut this off at the source,” Pennington emphasized

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