Grantee Research Project Results
Wet Wipes That Turn into Toilet Paper When Flushed
EPA Grant Number: SU840148Title: Wet Wipes That Turn into Toilet Paper When Flushed
Investigators: Lapitsky, Yakov , Seo, Youngwoo
Current Investigators: Lapitsky, Yakov , Seo, Youngwoo , Choudhuri, Kunal , Kendall, Reece C , Griffin, Michael D
Institution: University of Toledo
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: December 1, 2020 through November 30, 2021 (Extended to August 31, 2022)
Project Amount: $24,985
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2020) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Objective:
Wet wipes (even those marketed as “flushable”) clog pipes and pumps in sewer/wastewater treatment systems when flushed down the toilet and, thus, damage or interfere with the operation of wastewater collection and treatment facilities. Many of these wipes also contain synthetic polymers (e.g., polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate) which, even when these wipes disperse, pollute the water with microplastic fibers. To this end, this project aims to develop wet wipes that, upon flushing, turn into regular toilet paper, and fully circumvent the need for non-biobased polymers or microplastics. This will be achieved by interpenetrating the matrix of regular, commercial toilet paper with self-assembled surfactant/biopolymer complexes. The project team hypothesizes that these complexes will: (1) reinforce the wet toilet paper, thereby generating a wet tissue that is mechanically robust during use; and (2) rapidly dissolve when flushed (due to a rapid elution of surfactant), thus turning the initially robust wipes into easily dispersible toilet paper.
Approach:
The wet wipes will first be prepared by sequentially infusing wet toilet paper sheets with biopolymers and surfactants. Their wet mechanical strength — both before and after they are placed in an excess of water (which will simulate the surfactant-lean environment the wipes will encounter when flushed) — will then be characterized through tensile strength measurements and related to the spectroscopically and microscopically determined changes in their chemical composition and material structure. Moreover, to ensure that the technology does not interfere with wastewater treatment, microbiological techniques will be used to investigate whether the surfactants and biopolymers eluted from these wet wipes affect the microorganism activity in wastewater bioreactors. Collectively, these analyses will reveal the best-performing formulations (and preparation methods) for the proposed approach to wet wipe design.
Expected Results:
If successful, this project will produce wet wipes that, during use, have comparable mechanical properties to commercial products but, upon placement in excess water (i.e., upon flushing), turn into regular wet toilet paper. This transition will occur within minutes, and the biopolymer and surfactant molecules eluted during this transformation will be nondisruptive to the biological wastewater treatment process. Such wet wipes could ultimately: (1) enhance human health by improving sanitation; (2) reduce costs of repairing both private property (which is damaged when pipes clog) and municipal infrastructure; and (3) decrease pollution by safeguarding and/or rehabilitating sewer and wastewater treatment systems, and reducing microplastics release. Given these prospects, this project has the potential to advance all three (human, economic and environmental) pillars of sustainability. Further, this work will educate undergraduate and graduate students on how principles of physics, chemistry and biology converge in the design of sustainable products and will generate engaging examples for courses taught by the PI and co-PI.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 2 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Bio-based feed stocks, environmentally benign substitute, sustainable wastewater management, wastewater infrastructure.Progress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.