Towards a More Sustainable Water Treatment: Design of a Hydrodynamic Test Rig and Testing of a Novel Microplastic Filter Using Biomimetics

Pablo Blanco-Gómez (), Luis Fernández-Martínez, María V. Martínez-Pedro, Claudio Machancoses-Folch, Víctor Durá-Pastor, Tatiana Montoya, Ángela Baeza-Serrano, Vicente Fajardo, José Rafael García-March, José Tena-Medialdea, Víctor Tena-Gascó, Bernardo Vicente-Morell, Mario Martínez Ceniceros and Benjamín Ruiz-Tormo
Additional contact information
Pablo Blanco-Gómez: Vielca Ingenieros, S.A., Avda. Aragón, 17, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Luis Fernández-Martínez: Vielca Ingenieros, S.A., Avda. Aragón, 17, 46010 Valencia, Spain
María V. Martínez-Pedro: Vielca Ingenieros, S.A., Avda. Aragón, 17, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Claudio Machancoses-Folch: Vielca Ingenieros, S.A., Avda. Aragón, 17, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Víctor Durá-Pastor: Vielca Ingenieros, S.A., Avda. Aragón, 17, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Tatiana Montoya: Global Omnium Medioambiente, S.L. Gran Vía Marqués del Turia, 19, 46005 València, Spain
Ángela Baeza-Serrano: Global Omnium Medioambiente, S.L. Gran Vía Marqués del Turia, 19, 46005 València, Spain
Vicente Fajardo: Global Omnium Medioambiente, S.L. Gran Vía Marqués del Turia, 19, 46005 València, Spain
José Rafael García-March: IMEDMAR-UCV Institute of Environment and Marine Science Research, Universidad Católica de Valencia, Av. del Port, 15, 03710 Calpe, Spain
José Tena-Medialdea: IMEDMAR-UCV Institute of Environment and Marine Science Research, Universidad Católica de Valencia, Av. del Port, 15, 03710 Calpe, Spain
Víctor Tena-Gascó: IMEDMAR-UCV Institute of Environment and Marine Science Research, Universidad Católica de Valencia, Av. del Port, 15, 03710 Calpe, Spain
Bernardo Vicente-Morell: AIDIMME, Instituto Tecnológico Metalmecánico, Mueble, Madera, Embalaje y Afines, Parque Tecnológico, Avda. Leonardo da Vinci, 38, 46980 Paterna, Spain
Mario Martínez Ceniceros: AIDIMME, Instituto Tecnológico Metalmecánico, Mueble, Madera, Embalaje y Afines, Parque Tecnológico, Avda. Leonardo da Vinci, 38, 46980 Paterna, Spain
Benjamín Ruiz-Tormo: AIDIMME, Instituto Tecnológico Metalmecánico, Mueble, Madera, Embalaje y Afines, Parque Tecnológico, Avda. Leonardo da Vinci, 38, 46980 Paterna, Spain

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 17, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: Microplastics are plastic particles ranging in size from 1 μm to 5 mm, emitted at the source or resulting from the degradation of larger objects. Today, their global distribution is one of the major environmental problems recognized by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, polluting aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric systems and requiring avant-garde solutions. Solid–liquid filtration is widely used in both industrial and biological systems, where some aquatic species are examined using very specialized filter-feeding apparatus, and when applied to industrial processes, microparticles can be separated from the water while minimizing maintenance costs, as they require less backwashing or additional energy consumption. The REMOURE project uses the Mediterranean species Mobula mobular (Bonnaterre, 1788) as a reference for the testing and optimization of low-cost microplastic filters applied to wastewater. For this purpose, a hydrodynamic test rig was designed and constructed by considering the hydraulic feeding conditions of the marine species, with a scale factor of 6. This paper presents the design conditions and the evaluation of the test results for the combination of three different variables: (1) flap disposition (two different models were considered); (2) inclination with respect to the flow direction; and (3) flow velocity. The models were printed in polyamide and videos were recorded to evaluate the behaviour of dye injection through the lobes. The videos were processed, and the results were statistically treated and used to calibrate a CFD model to optimize the filter design to be studied in a prototype wastewater treatment plant.

Keywords: microplastics; biomimetics; Mobula mobular; additive technologies; filter; scale models; hydrodynamic test rig (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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