Solving the Microplastic Crisis

Hackathon project where my group and I developed Crustex, a sustainable solution to the rising numbers of microplastics found in synthetic clothing.

Overview

Hackathon project where my group and I developed Crustex, a sustainable solution to the rising numbers of microplastics found in synthetic clothing.

Received the Most Innovative Idea Award from TKS.

Problem

The amount of microplastics in the world is becoming a huge problem, to the point where our food and water contains more plastics than ever before. Nearly 40% of the ocean is swirling with plastics and cleaning and recycling efforts will not be enough to fix it.

Approach

Using chitin, a natural polymer found in crustacean shells and large waste product of the seafood industry,it is converted to chitosan to create biosynthetic clothing with stronger tensile strength.

Technical details

Biosynthetic textiles · materials research · sustainability systems thinking · product narrative and web presentation.

Impact

Received the Most Innovative Idea Award from TKS.