Project description
Novel filter to catch microplastics with every wash
Here’s something to think about on laundry day: the washing of synthetic clothing is the main source of primary microplastics in the oceans. Even one synthetic garment in a load of laundry can release thousands of microfibres. The EU-funded MIMBOX project has figured out a way to keep microplastics from reaching the waterways. Using self-cleaning filtering technology, it has developed the first ever add-on device that can connect to any type of washing machine to capture microplastics. What is more, the MIMBOX device cuts water consumption by up to 70 % by cleaning and recycling the greywater, in addition to reducing the energy consumed for water heating by up to 30 %.
Objective
Microplastics are a huge source of pollution in our seas, with up to 1.5 million tons being released per year. This poisons the underwater ecosystem and even climbs back up in the food chain to affect human health (estimates show that we eat about 5 grams of plastic each week). Washing machines contribute to about 35% of this problem, in the form of the 700,000 pieces of synthetic microfibres found in the greywater of each wash.
Our company Mimbly has designed the Mimbox, the first ever “plug-and-play” add-on device that can connect to any type of washing machine to capture the microplastics released during each wash, acting as a single barrier to retain microplastics as small as 50 microns from reaching the waterways. At the heart of its innovation is a self-cleaning filtering technology, of which we are in a patent process. The Mimbox also cuts up to 70% of water consumption by cleaning and recycling the greywater, as well as reduces in a 30% the energy consumed in water heating, all with unaltered quality in the wash results. Additionally, it includes a data service functionality for customers to optimise their wash cycles.
Our first commercialisation of the technology is aimed at industrial washers and it is compatible with all brands, sizes and generations of washing machines. The Mimbox offers an attractive average payback period of 2.5-year during 11-year industrial washer lifetime, and it is the perfect compliance solution for upcoming regulations and customer’s environmental sustainability policy and brand.
The EIC accelerator project will setup and run 15 B2B customer pilots with the Mimbox MVP and demonstrate their results to additional stakeholders. We will establish scalable manufacturing partnership and distribution channels and achieve all the certifications for market release and scale-up. Our technology is expected to be used for over 100,000 washers by 2025, saving more than 1,200 tons of microplastics and 23 million m3 of water.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
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H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
411 29 Gothenburg
Sweden
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.