Marine-i and Plymouth University Support Research and Development of Indikon-1

Cleaner Seas Group was set up in Cornwall in Autumn 2018 with a mission to rid the environment of microplastic pollution. Micro and nano plastics are omnipresent in our water cycle, the air we breathe and the food we eat. The company are developing technology products that remove micro and nano plastics from the environment and which have global market potential.

Up to 13 million tonnes of plastics –4% of global plastics production – end up in the oceans every year. Much of the larger items within the oceans derives from packaging but more and more scientists are finding evidence of plastics from the fibres of synthetic clothing. On average 700,000 plastic microfibres go down the drain with every wash of a load of polyesters.

One of the founding members of Cleaner Seas Group, James Sirmon, is a design engineer and he set out to find a solution to the problem of microplastics entering into the seas through washing machine fibres. He has invented a revolutionary washing machine filter which overcomes issues not addressed by other products currently on the market. The Indikon-1 uses a cartridge to easily wind on filter paper, helping avoid blocked filters. The cartridge is later returned to the Cleaner Seas Group for recycling. The unique design has now been patented.

In Spring 2019, Cleaner Seas Group approached Marine-i for RD&I support and was directed towards the specialist technology research available through the University of Plymouth. James says: “University of Plymouth have helped us every stage of the way and their research has been invaluable in helping us accelerate the development of our new product.

Professor Richard Thompson says “Microplastics including fibres from clothing have accumulated in our oceans on a global scale. There are solutions and working together across industry, academia and wider society we can tackle the problem. Part of the challenge of fibre release clearly lies in the design of the yarns and textiles themselves, but filtration devices also offer an opportunity for intervention. My team at the University of Plymouth are pleased to be able to provide independent scientific evidence to help inform industrial innovation to reduce plastic pollution.”