Solution Scope: Water Treatment Plants Systems 

Target Contaminant: Microplastics

Solution Provider or Contact Point: Eden-Tech

Project: UPSTREAM – Circular and Bio-Based Solutions for the Ultimate Prevention of Plastics in Rivers Integrated with Elimination and Monitoring Technologies

ITS Description: ASCANDRA is an innovative microfluidic technology that uses the principles of nature’s capillary networks to isolate and capture microplastic particles from natural water bodies. It is able to concentrate and collect microplastics up to a million times, effectively capturing particles as small as 0.1 millimetres at a rate of 1m³ per minute. Plans are in place to further enhance its capabilities to operate at a rate of 1m³ per second and collect even smaller particles down to 0.01 millimetres in the near future. The microfluidic capillaries are designed as microstructures on Compact Discs (CDs), which allow for automated fluid handling, valving, and volume metering through techniques such as centrifugal pumping, siphon valves, and hydrophobic/capillary valves. By stacking multiple CDs, a 3D dense low-pressure network is created, allowing for the treatment of larger volumes of water. This integration of CDs also results in a miniaturized treatment factory. One of the main advantages of CD-based microfluidics is its ability to perform common laboratory tests, as well as its potential for low-cost manufacturing and easy disposal. It also has the robustness to operate in challenging environments. However, there are still technical challenges that need to be addressed, such as developing reliable fluid actuation schemes, temperature-independent reagents, and easy-to-interpret readouts. The compact design of the ASCANDRA technology even allows for easy integration into a dedicated boat or fixed to a riverbank, making it highly efficient for cleaning coastlines and rivers. Indeed, a recent collaboration with the BOAXT technology has resulted in the preliminary development of a revolutionary 14-meter vessel that can be folded into a standardized ISO container for rapid deployment and operation on shorelines.

Correspondence with BMM OIR (sectoral priorities, R&I activities, gaps, needs): Much like the previously illustrated PE-X remove, this ITS responds to an R&I need for minimization of plastics pollution in the development of new micro-plastic filtration systems and technologies  . It provides a solution to the Technological/Scientific Challenge of the BMM OIR     for the wastewater and solid waste management sector in cities (and beyond), including further struggle to minimize micropollutants and microplastics releases in the aquatic environment          . More specifically, it provides new micro-fluidic technologies for micropollutants. removal and destruction from the water environment