It's an award-winning invention: Dr. Sebastian Porkert has developed a cleaning system that filters microplastics and drug residues from the wastewater. The Breitbrunner says: "This is my modest contribution to a better environment and for the generation of my children."
Breitbrunn - Dr. Sebastian Porkert (35) is "the dad with the water pipe". At least that's how two-year-old Sylvester defines his father's invention. The co-founder of the start-up Ecofario in Munich has developed a system that can filter microplastics and medication residues from the wastewater. A project that was awarded the German Sustainability Award for Young Enterprises, the "Next Economy Award 2020".
The graduate engineer studied and obtained his doctorate in the field of paper technology, in which he currently earns his money as an independent optimization engineer. Porkert has been concerned with the topic of plastic in the waters at the latest since he worked as a project manager for a paper manufacturer in Hainan a few years ago. A South Chinese island that is romantically washed around by the sea - and at the same time with a lot of plastic, says Porkert. He remembers plates and bowls wrapped in foil in the restaurant, which the waiter simply threw into the sea after eating, including the tablecloth.
Plastic also danced on the waves around Borneo, where he plowed through plastic bottles and bags on the boat before the diving force entered clean water. Eight years ago, he read about a study that looked at the sediments in Lake Garda. "A group of researchers from Bayreuth found that Lake Garda is completely full of plastic," says Porkert. That probably meant that Ammersee or Starnberger See should also be burdened. From then on he was concerned with that, says the father of two.
Smallest particles of microplastics can be filtered out using the cleaning system.
© Wustneck / dpa
Growing up in Buch, he now lives with his family in Breitbrunn. The lake has always been part of everyday life. And one day he decided to stop watching 330,000 tons of microplastics land in Germany's waters every year. "That's four kilos per head," he says. Most of them end up in sewage via washing machines, tire wear or industry. The wastewater industry has already responded. Porkert knows that modern systems could cut out around 95 percent of microplastics. About filters - but not the best technology in his eyes.
He speaks of a wearing part with enormous maintenance costs and an "energy killer, because the finer the particles, the higher the pressure with which I push the water through". The idea for his cleaning system finally came to him literally while he was asleep: one night he suddenly stood up straight in bed with the idea to convert a hydrocyclone so that the micro-small water pollutants can be removed almost 100 percent. The hydrocyclone is a centrifugal separator for liquid mixtures, which he knows from the paper industry and has been used in the cleaning process for more than 100 years. "However, only for larger particles such as glass or sand," says Porkert. The difficulty: microplastics are not only invisible to the eye, but "very close to the density of water".
"My humble contribution to a better environment"
The implementation was a success: "We have changed the technology to such an extent that the microparticles can also be filtered out," he says. "We" are managing directors Porkert and Adrian Scholl as well as Stefan Tomme and Robert Krapez, who have developed a so-called end of pipe solution, i.e. a system installed at the end of the cleaning chain. The trick is that the water is rotated in a spiral through the tube-like component, so that the centrifugal forces created push the plastic particles inwards and separate them. "We filter more than 95 percent microplastics out of the water in one pass," says Porkert. The filtered particles flow back into the system with part of the water and go through the cleaning process until they can be easily separated. A positive side effect is that the plastic particles magnetically attract drug residues and pharmaceutical industry preparations also disappear from the wastewater.
Thanks to a design that has now been patented and has won many awards. It is almost maintenance-free. The mobile pilot plant should be ready in a few weeks and could be demonstrated to potential customers such as wastewater plant operators or industrial companies. Scholl and Porkert have already put a six-figure sum from their private assets into the invention - and a low-interest loan of 400,000 euros. It was donated by a dedicated lady who wanted to invest this sum in something "meaningful". After reading an article about Porkert, she got in touch. "She was convinced that I have chickens in the garden," says Porkert with a laugh. "If you have chickens, you have to be a nice guy," she said.
The amount is sufficient for the pilot plant and the first steps towards marketing. "However, we are not paying any salaries yet," said Porkert. And they are dependent on further investments to build the plants. The children Sylvester (2) and Lilly (6) are definitely excited about the project. After all, this is also their Ammersee, where they can grow up like their father once did. Porkert: "The cleaning system is my modest contribution to a better environment and for the generation of my children."
Michèle Kirner
Also read:
The Herrschingen district of Breitbrunn is getting 29 new street lamps. Street lighting has also caused displeasure in Herrsching.
Extension fixed: Ferdinand Tille is on sixth season with Bundesliga club TSV Herrsching