Date of Award
2023
Document Type
Open Access Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Chemical Engineering (MS)
Administrative Home Department
Department of Chemical Engineering
Advisor 1
Timothy Eisele
Committee Member 1
Lei Pan
Committee Member 2
Audra Morse
Abstract
Clothing made from synthetic materials shed fibers in washing machines, and these fibers find their way into the effluent water. These fibers can absorb toxic materials in wastewater treatment plants and can then carry these toxins into other aquatic environments.
It’s believed that a hydro cyclone could be scaled down enough to fit into a washing machine and could be used to filter out up to 80% of the microparticles from the effluent water. It’s proposed to investigate if a hydro cyclone can be used for this application. The overall goal was for the hydro cyclone to concentrate the micro plastics into a semi solid sludge. A hydro cyclone design and reservoir were designed and tested to show a system efficiency of up to 90%, and the reservoir was able to collect the particles in such a way that they could be disposed of in the trash.
Recommended Citation
Kulkarni, Joe, "HYDRO CYCLONIC SEPARATION OF POLYESTER MICROFIBERS FROM WASHING MACHINE WASTEWATER", Open Access Master's Thesis, Michigan Technological University, 2023.