Washing clothes may seem harmless, but each load can release hundreds of thousands of tiny plastic fibers from synthetic fabrics into the water. Some of these microplastics are captured in sewage sludge that is often used as fertilizer, allowing the particles to spread onto agricultural fields. Others pass through wastewater systems and eventually into the ocean, where they accumulate in marine life. Laundry is an overlooked but major source of plastic pollution.
Researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany are working on a solution inspired by an unexpected source: fish.
In order to stop this problem at the source, researchers developed a new washing-machine filter modeled after the gill arch system found in fish like mackerel, anchovies, and sardines - species that filter plankton from water as they swim.
Inside a fish’s mouth, water flows through a funnel-shaped structure lined with comb-like arches. Clean water passes through, while food particles roll along the surface toward the throat. This design creates a self-cleaning filter that resists clogging.
The research team replicated that same cross-flow filtration principle for washing machines. Instead of fibers slamming into a flat filter and blocking it, the particles roll along the funnel and are carried away.
The patent-pending filter is simple and inexpensive to make. In early tests, the prototype removed more than 99% of plastic fibers from wash water without clogging. The captured microplastics can be compressed into small pellets and removed every few dozen washes.
Sometimes the best solutions to modern problems can be found in the plant and animal kingdom.
