Microfibre filtration in washing machines*

Fibres from our clothes make up around 35% of all of the microplastics in our oceans, and it is estimated that each person produces on average 243g of microplastic fibres per year when washing their clothes in a standard washing machine. Thus, we need to find ways to reduce the number of microplastics, in the form of microfibres, that are drained with the wastewater during laundry. Working in collaboration with the home appliance brand, Beko plc, we are exploring simple mathematical models to capture microfibre shedding and filtration within a washing machine. In this talk, we focus on exploring the concept of removing these microfibres from dirty fibrous water using ricochet separation, a solid–fluid separation technique used by manta ray fish to separate plankton from water. Our aim is to understand the interplay between fluid mechanics and clothing materials, using homogenization techniques, so that we can maximise filtration efficiency within a washing machine.