3 ms·

>removing microplastics from laundry discharge water Much better way of addressing a lot of the microplastics problem IMHO. Regulate it out of common frivolous

by MertsA 6y ago

>removing microplastics from laundry discharge water Much better way of addressing a lot of the microplastics problem IMHO. Regulate it out of common frivolous sources like e.g. "exfoliating microspheres" and then start requiring washing machine OEMs to put replaceable filters on the discharge.

NotPavlovsDog 6y ago
Agree on both counts. It's really inspiring to see what real engineering is. Makes me feel like a sell-out massaging Skinner boxes. In the laundry problem they are dealing with both the extreme challenge of physical objects (connecting the right pump to the right controller, battling liquid pressure loss, unreliable reference washing machine performance and water quality ), abstract concepts ("what shall be identified as microplastics?" "is the reference wash cycle in any way relevant to how plastic clothing sheds when worn by humans?" "how shall the conflicting measurement methods from literature be addressed / unified?") and project constraints. To say nothing about filter clogging. And it's a great feeling to know that your work is fundamentally relevant, i see that even when they hit their lows. Really making me re-consider my career path.
kwhitefoot 6y ago
> Regulate it out of common frivolous sources like e.g. "exfoliating microspheres" Already done in the UK and US. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/skin/the-best-face-and-body-scrubs-without-plastic-microbeads/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/skin/the-best-face-and-bo... See also https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/reel.12269 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/reel.12269 https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/microbead-free-waters-act-faqs https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/mic...
- NotPavlovsDog 6y ago
  It's far from done, and some would say not done at all, depending on the definition of microplastic. Microplastic in cosmetics is absolutely not even close to solved. https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2020/03/battle-on-the-so-called-liquid-microplastics-in-cosmetics/ https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2020/03/battle-on-t...

by MertsA 6y ago

NotPavlovsDog 6y ago

Agree on both counts. It's really inspiring to see what real engineering is. Makes me feel like a sell-out massaging Skinner boxes. In the laundry problem they are dealing with both the extreme challenge of physical objects (connecting the right pump to the right controller, battling liquid pressure loss, unreliable reference washing machine performance and water quality ), abstract concepts ("what shall be identified as microplastics?" "is the reference wash cycle in any way relevant to how plastic clothing sheds when worn by humans?" "how shall the conflicting measurement methods from literature be addressed / unified?") and project constraints. To say nothing about filter clogging. And it's a great feeling to know that your work is fundamentally relevant, i see that even when they hit their lows. Really making me re-consider my career path.

kwhitefoot 6y ago

> Regulate it out of common frivolous sources like e.g. "exfoliating microspheres" Already done in the UK and US. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/skin/the-best-face-and-body-scrubs-without-plastic-microbeads/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/skin/the-best-face-and-bo... See also https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/reel.12269 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/reel.12269 https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/microbead-free-waters-act-faqs https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/mic...

NotPavlovsDog 6y ago
It's far from done, and some would say not done at all, depending on the definition of microplastic. Microplastic in cosmetics is absolutely not even close to solved. https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2020/03/battle-on-the-so-called-liquid-microplastics-in-cosmetics/ https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2020/03/battle-on-t...