Wärtsilä Adds Microplastics Filter to Scrubber to Help Clean Oceans

The two firms have already tested the filtration system in the Mediterranean. Image Credit: Wärtsilä

Engineering company Wärtsilä has developed a scrubber system with a microplastics filter in a project with shipping firm Grimaldi Group that aims to clean the oceans.

Wärtsilä plans to take the filtration system to market in partnership with Grimaldi, it said in an emailed statement on Thursday. The system requires little in the way of change to onboard operations, and can capture particles smaller than 10µm.

The new system could be effective in improving the public reputation of scrubbers. Scrubbers currently tend to be characterised by environmental groups as taking air pollution and dumping it in the water -- by positioning the systems as helping to clean the oceans, some of that criticism may be countered.

"Reducing microplastics pollution in our world's oceans is an important challenge, and we are pleased to provide a solution for the shipping industry," Emanuele Grimaldi, managing director of Grimaldi Group, said in the statement.

"The idea for this innovative technology originated from recognising that open-loop exhaust gas cleaning systems can draw seawater for exhaust scrubbing and simultaneously collect microplastic present in the oceans as part of their normal operation.

"We have already completed pilot testing of this system onboard one of our vessels deployed between Civitavecchia and Barcelona.

"The results are promising, with 64,680 microplastic particles collected on a single voyage between these two ports.

"We are glad that Wärtsilä also recognises the potential of this system, and we look forward to further collaboration to tackle microplastics in our oceans."