An invention by two Syracuse University students is a finalist for the James Dyson Award, an international competition for young engineers.

Serena Omo-Lamai and Charles Keppler invented FibreFree, a device designed to capture plastic microfibers and prevent pollution. The device is one of 20 inventions in the final round of the competition.

“It’s a great feeling. It’s something to be able to say you made an invention that’s top 20 in the world,” said Keppler, a senior aerospace engineering, physics and applied mathematics triple major.

FibreFree acts as a cotton ball that catches plastic microfibers, Keppler said. Through trial and error, the engineers decided on a filter that captures particles up to one micrometer large. A human red blood cell is approximately eight micrometers in diameter, according to HEPA.

The device catches fibers released during the wash cycle as water flows through it and prevents them from going down the drain and entering the water system, Omo-Lamai said. FibreFree also functions as a dryer ball, and its soft spikes pummel clothing to softness and improve air circulation in the dryer, she said.

“It’s a total laundry solution,” Omo-Lamai said.

To determine if FibreFree actually worked, Omo-Lamai and Keppler created a controlled environment using a hand-cranked washing machine they bought online. Using 100 percent polyester pajamas, they assessed the concentration of microfibers in the water with and without FibreFree.

FibreFree removed about 40 percent of microfibers from water, Keppler said.

The idea for FibreFree came from an article Omo-Lamai and Keppler read during the first week of the Invent@SU program. Through their reading, they discovered a study that found plastic microfiber contamination in 83 percent of water samples collected around the world.

“We’re releasing the equivalent of millions of plastic bags worth of microfiber pollution every day just by washing our synthetic clothes,” Keppler said. 

Microfibers consist of both regulated and unregulated plastics, Keppler said. Some fabrics with moisture-wicking, waterproof or UV-resistant additives have types of plastics not found in a normal water bottle, he said.

These microfibers, smaller than a strand of human hair, are then flushed into the water system after going through the washing machine.

Studies have shown microfibers entering the aquatic ecosystem, which fish and shellfish consume and grow with microfibers entwined in their flesh, Keppler said. Humans then eat these fish and shellfish, consuming the plastic.

There are no conclusive studies showing microfibers’ effects on human health.

“I can’t say it’s too much of a stretch to presume a similar thing would happen to us,” Keppler said.

Though Omo-Lamai and Keppler concepted, prototyped and pitched FibreFree at the Invent@SU program this summer, neither said they would consider themselves to be entrepreneurs.

The inventors are working with the Blackstone LaunchPad and have applied for the Impact Prize, a $5,000 prize for an idea that can “change the world.”

Omo-Lamai and Keppler said they don’t see FibreFree being part of their future career. The best route, they said, would be to license the product to a person or company with manufacturing and market connections to get it on shelves.

Published on October 11, 2017 at 12:21 am

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