Your filter can currently remove around 81% of microplastic particles. What improvements are you planning to further increase efficiency?
Baumann: We are planning improvements through various approaches. The greatest potential lies in continuously adapting the filter structure. We can evaluate the expected effect fairly accurately by simulating it in advance. Another possibility is to recirculate or string together several individual filters: if three filters in a row each filter 81%, the result is a cleaning performance of 99.31%.
Synthetic clothing is considered to be one of the main causes of microplastics in water. Do you see a possibility of using your filter system directly in the textile industry, e.g. in production processes or washing machines, to catch microplastics at an early stage?
Baumann: Thanks to its simplicity and variable size and flow rate, our filter system can be customised to specific requirements. So a direct application is certainly conceivable. Until then, however, we still need time for research and further development.
You also work as a technology scout at InCamS@BI. What role does the transfer of knowledge from research to industry play in the development of sustainable solutions?
Baumann: Alongside research and teaching, knowledge transfer is the third pillar of Bielefeld University and Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences. The aim is to strengthen the exchange of ideas and innovations between universities, companies and society, or to initiate it in the first place. Cooperations with transfer projects such as InCamS@BI therefore offer absolute added value, especially for small and medium-sized companies that are looking for partners for the sustainable conversion of their production. Together, sustainable solutions can often be initiated.
What next steps are you planning for your filter system and what milestones would you like to achieve in the coming years?
Baumann: There are several plans and ideas. For the time being, however, the focus for this year is on further basic research, such as determining the size, material or shape sensitivity to the microparticles. We also want to increase the throughput and reduce the required pressure.