Engineering Suspension Feeder System for
Separation and Elimination of Microplastics from Water
Scalable, Bio-Inspired Technology
Florida Atlantic University, Biology
UConn, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
UConn, Civil & Environmental Engineering
UConn, Molecular & Cell Biology
Overview
Our team is developing bio-inspired technology to separate and eliminate microplastics from wastewater treatment plants. Our approach will employ the unmatched capacity of aquatic bivalves to efficiently separate and concentrate microplastics from water. By co-concentrating microplastics and microplastics-degrading bacteria using bivalves, we hope to scrub microplastics from wastewater and degrade them. Also, this project will employ new approaches to quantify the socio-technical and economic factors that drive or impede wastewater treatment technology.
Recent Publications
Grad Student: Hannah Collins
Nylon microfibers develop a distinct plastisphere but have no apparent effects
on the gut microbiome or gut tissue status in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis
Grad Student: Matthew Bizer
Regression modeling of combined sewer overflows to assess system performance