Taking inspiration from anchovies and herrings, researchers have made a new filter that could keep microplastics from entering waterways and oceans. The filter, with a design based on the gill systems in these fish, traps a record high 99% of tiny microplastic fibers from washing machine wastewater.
And its innovative design keeps it from getting blocked, unlike filters that are on the market today. The team from University of Bonn in Germany reported their patent-pending filter in the journal npg Emerging Contaminants. Modern clothing is made from synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon, and spandex. Clothes shed tiny pieces of these fibers when they are agitated in washing machines.
Studies estimate that a single synthetic garment can release up to 1.5 million microplastic fibers during one wash cycle. And a washing machine in a four-person home produces as much as 500 grams of microplastics every year. A few filters and innovative products that stop microfibers from going down the drain are already on the market. Others are under development.
Researchers in Japan, meanwhile, have also used sound waves to filter microplastics from washing machine water. “The filter systems available so far, however, have various disadvantages,” said Leandra Hamann, lead author of the new paper, in a press release.
“Some of them quickly become clogged, others do not offer adequate filtration.” Hamann and her colleagues turned to the gills of ram-feeding fish such as anchovies, mackerel, and herring for their filter design. These fish have funnel-shaped gill arch systems that work like a cross-flow filtration system. The fish push forward in water with their mouths open to feed. As water travels through their mouths into their gullets, comb-like structures covered with tiny teeth traps hold back plankton and other food bits, while the water passes back out through the gills.
The food particles roll towards the gullet because of the funnel-shaped gill. They collect there until the fish swallows. So the researchers made a cone-shaped filter with carefully chosen mesh size and funnel angle and opening. As microfiber-laden water flows through it, the microfibers roll to the back of the cone instead of getting stuck on it if it were flat.
The system collects the fibers before suctioning them out multiple times per minute. The researchers say that minor alterations to a washing machine could allow it to press the plastic to remove excess water and mold it into a pellet. After a few dozen washes, an owner could remove the plastic block and dispose it appropriately. “We have thus found a combination of parameters that enable our filter to separate more than 99% of the microplastics out of the water but not become blocked,” said Hamann.
Source: Leandra Hamann et al, A self-cleaning, bio-inspired high retention filter for a major entry path of microplastics, npj Emerging Contaminants, 2025. Photo by Doncoombez on Unsplash .IRPP_ruby , .IRPP_ruby .postImageUrl , .IRPP_ruby .centered-text-area {height: auto;position: relative;}.IRPP_ruby , .IRPP_ruby:hover , .IRPP_ruby:visited , .IRPP_ruby:active {border:0!important;}.IRPP_ruby .clearfix:after {content: "";display: table;clear: both;}.IRPP_ruby {display: block;transition: background-color 250ms;webkit-transition: background-color 250ms;width: 100%;opacity: 1;transition: opacity 250ms;webkit-transition: opacity 250ms;background-color: #eaeaea;}.IRPP_ruby:active , .IRPP_ruby:hover {opacity: 1;transition: opacity 250ms;webkit-transition: opacity 250ms;background-color: inherit;}.IRPP_ruby .postImageUrl {background-position: center;background-size: cover;float: left;margin: 0;padding: 0;width: 31.59%;position: absolute;top: 0;bottom: 0;}.IRPP_ruby .centered-text-area {float: right;width: 65.65%;padding:0;margin:0;}.IRPP_ruby .centered-text {display: table;height: 130px;left: 0;top: 0;padding:0;margin:0;padding-top: 20px;padding-bottom: 20px;}.IRPP_ruby .IRPP_ruby-content {display: table-cell;margin: 0;padding: 0 74px 0 0px;position: relative;vertical-align: middle;width: 100%;}.IRPP_ruby .ctaText {border-bottom: 0 solid #fff;color: #0099cc;font-size: 14px;font-weight: bold;letter-spacing: normal;margin: 0;padding: 0;font-family:'Arial';}.IRPP_ruby .postTitle {color: #000000;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;letter-spacing: normal;margin: 0;padding: 0;font-family:'Arial';}.IRPP_ruby .ctaButton {background: url(https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts-pro/assets/images/next-arrow.png)no-repeat;background-color: #afb4b6;background-position: center;display: inline-block;height: 100%;width: 54px;margin-left: 10px;position: absolute;bottom:0;right: 0;top: 0;}.IRPP_ruby:after {content: "";display: block;clear: both;}Recommended Reading:An unexpected green roof benefit: purging urban rainfall of practically all microplastics
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