Wastewater
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) act as a sink to microplastic fibres generated upstream from factories, laundries, tyres, and city dust. We are stopping this waste from entering our natural environment.
22 tonnes
of microplastic fibres from WWTP are spread onto farmland every day in England and Wales.*
50kg
of microplastic fibres are discharged every day through ‘clean’ WWTP effluent in England and Wales.*
Whilst WWTP can be highly effective at removing microplastics from final outlet discharge, the vast majority of the microplastic fibres captured are contained within sewage sludge which is often spread onto farmland as a fertiliser.
These microplastic fibres penetrate the soil and flow into our waterways and food chain.
Wastewater spillage into our waterways leads to high volumes of microplastics polluting the natural environment.
3.6m hours
of untreated sewage spills were reported in the UK in 2023 alone. **
The Matter Approach
Matter has a three-point circular approach to supporting wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operators in capturing and returning value from microplastics and microfibres.
We are scaling our know-how, services, and technology to develop solutions to meet the needs of WWTP and are collaborating with industry partners to be pioneers in this space.
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First, we identify the presence and nature of micropollutants at your WWTP with our bespoke Microfibre Assessment Programme (MAP).
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Informed by our MAP, we work with you to design and deliver technology solutions to capture and extract micropollutants with our Regen filtration technology.
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The next step is to make the captured materials available for re-use or recycling.
Matter is working with researchers and universities to create a truly closed-loop system and keep this harmful pollution out of the natural environment, turning waste into resource.
Microfibre Assessment Programme (MAP)
The MAP plays a vital part in enabling us to get a detailed understanding of the size and nature of the issue, and the key locations in the WWTP that need to be prioritised for intervention.
Our MAP service is tailored to meet the requirements of each individual site and provides invaluable data and insights which can inform recommendations and solutions for your facility.
Are you looking for solutions to help you address the challenge of microplastic pollution?
Get in touch for a consultation with a member of our Industries team.
