US 12,331,448 B2
Microplastic compactor and method of compacting microplastics
Adam Root, Bristol (GB); Reuben Kettle Aiers, Bristol (GB); Thomas Ruddell, Bristol (GB); and Ntani Kokkinos, Bristol (GB)
Assigned to Inheriting Earth Limited, Bristol (GB)
Appl. No. 17/757,002
Filed by INHERITING EARTH LIMITED [GB]/[GB], Bristol (GB)
PCT Filed Dec. 9, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/061691
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 7, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/116933, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 17, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 1918145 (GB), filed on Dec. 10, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0030772 A1, Feb. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. D06F 39/10 (2006.01); C02F 103/00 (2006.01); D06F 39/08 (2006.01)
CPC D06F 39/10 (2013.01) [D06F 39/083 (2013.01); C02F 2103/002 (2013.01); C02F 2307/12 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A compactor for extracting and compressing microplastics from waste effluent, the compactor comprising;
a chamber;
a wastewater inlet for supplying waste effluent into the chamber, wherein there is at least one plate within the chamber moveable between a non-compressing position and a compressing position;
a drive unit for driving the at least one plate between the non-compressing position and the compressing position; and
a first outlet and a second outlet, wherein the first outlet is a compressed microplastics discharge outlet and the second outlet is a wastewater outlet;
wherein the compressed microplastics discharge outlet is arranged to allow the discharge of compressed microplastics, wherein the compressed microplastics discharge outlet is separate from the wastewater outlet, such that compressed microplastics are discharged from the compactor separately to the wastewater;
wherein the inlet includes a valve to prevent waste effluent from escaping out of the inlet as the at least one plate is moved into the compressing position; and
wherein the compactor is operable, in use, to extract and compress the microplastics from waste effluent, and wherein the at least one plate is arranged to move the compressed microplastics to the discharge outlet, and wherein the compactor is arranged such that, in use, the compressed microplastics are automatically discharged from the compactor via the discharge outlet by the movement of the at least one plate and the waste effluent is drained by the wastewater outlet.