ChitoTrap is a chitosan-based filter that plugs into your washing machine outlet and captures microplastic and nanoplastic fibres before they reach our waterways. Lab-tested: 95.7% reduction.
Every laundry cycle releases billions of synthetic fibres too small for any treatment plant to catch. They flow straight into our rivers, lakes, and food chains.
Snap ChitoTrap onto your washing machine drain hose. No plumbing, no power, no complexity.
Laundry wastewater enters the top inlet. Flow distributor ensures even contact with all media layers inside.
Chitosan beads neutralise the surface charge of microplastics, bridging tiny fibres into larger, catchable aggregates.
Activated carbon captures clumped particles and organics. Optional ion-exchange media removes heavy metals and phosphates.
Filtered water with significantly reduced microplastic content flows safely to the sewer, protecting downstream water bodies.
Derived from crustacean shell waste, chitosan is biodegradable, non-toxic, and uniquely effective at capturing charged microplastic and nanoplastic particles.
Derived from chitin in shell waste. Primary amine groups neutralise the negative surface charge of microplastic particles to trigger aggregation.
Works through coagulation-flocculation (bridging particles into larger flocs) and adsorption (trapping contaminant ions on its surface) simultaneously.
Manufactured as cross-linked beads or composite granular media, durable for fixed-bed cartridge operation across hundreds of wash cycles.
When functionalised, simultaneously sorbs heavy metals (Fe, Mn) and anions (phosphate) — beyond microplastics to co-pollutants.
Plug-and-play, no plumbing or power required. Low-cost replaceable cartridge model targeting households, laundromats, and institutions worldwide.
From bench to real world — measurable environmental, economic, and social outcomes across our France and India pilot programmes.
Microplastic reduction in lab bench testing (374 particles in → 16 out)
First real-world pilot: 50 units in France + 25 units in India
Households, fisherfolk, fish consumers, municipalities and future generations worldwide
Phase 2 complete: prototype validated at 95.7% reduction. Next — real households in France and India, then EU-wide scale.
Literature review, product concept, bead formulation, 3D-printed housing, chitosan-coated nylon mesh, bench column tests with laser microscopy validation.
Finalise coating protocol, 3D printing parameters, assembly SOP, and QC checklist. Set up two small production spaces — one in France, one in India.
Deploy 50 units in France (Zero Waste Cities) and 25 in India (eco-conscious homes, hostel laundries). Collect microscopy + user feedback data.
Move from 3D printing to injection-moulded housings. Automate coating rig. Launch filter swap service. Begin circular chitosan sourcing from seafood waste.
Expand across France (mandatory regulation), EU market, urban India clusters, and US sustainability communities. Municipal and CSR partnerships.
Four students from Imperial College London, TU Berlin, IIT Bombay, and TU Munich — united by a shared belief that this crisis deserves a rigorous, accessible solution.
We consulted leading academics and industry experts to validate our science, engineering, and strategy.
Sign up now and we'll send you a ChitoTrap cartridge at no cost when we launch. Be among the first to help protect your local waterways.