CoagX - Great Lakes Microplastics Removal Unit
CoagX - Great Lakes Microplastics Removal Unit
Engineering
APSC_O 169 - Fundamentals of Sustainable Engineering Design
Winter 2025
Microplastics are one of the most serious emerging contaminants in freshwater systems. The Great Lakes contain thousands of tons of them, and traditional water treatment systems can’t remove particles this small. Our team wanted a solution that was low-cost, environmentally safe, and realistically scalable.
Challenge: To design, build, and create a working system that can remove microplastics through a sustainable process.
Our final solution, CoagX, uses electrocoagulation to bind microplastics into removable flocs, using electricity instead of adding chemicals as the main driving mechanism. Iron electrodes release hydroxides that neutralize microplastic charges, allowing the particles to clump together and float or settle. Microbubbles created during electrolysis also help lift contaminants to the surface.
Across the design cycle, we created three prototypes that progressively solved issues such as leaks, electrode spacing, gas buildup, contamination, and drainage efficiency.
A large part of this project involved prototyping, testing, and making changes based on what didn’t work, and that’s where I contributed the most:
Built all three prototypes.
Designed the 3D-printed chamber using TinkerCAD.
Cut the steel plates to their dimensions.
Wired the electrolysis plates.
Assembled and tested the physical prototype, including adjusting electrode position and documenting observations.
Integrated the MOSFET-controlled pump and programmed the ESP32 with a custom timer interface.
Performed all water tests and analyzed the floc formation, leaks, gas buildup, and spacing issues. Each improvement in the final version came directly from the hands-on testing I did.
Research & Problem Framing
Reviewed sources on microplastics in the Great Lakes and existing treatment methods.
Identified constraints: particle size, flow rates, cost, safety, and environmental impact.
Concept Generation
Brainstormed multiple ideas, including charged particle systems, acoustic separation, and rotating surface collectors.
Evaluated concepts using evaluation criteria.
Concept Generated Ideas
Early modeling helped identify spacing issues, gas buildup concerns, and structural risks before physical construction.
Four steel plates cut to size, using them with a 9v battery and contaminated water (dirt, chopped plastic, glitter substitute), visible flocs formed within 30–60 minutes, confirming that electrocoagulation works for microplastics.
Our final design fully constructed, where it integrates electrode geometry, insulation spacing, drainage, and a custom ESP32 control system with timed electrolysis cycles. Built to ensure microplastics can be extracted from the Great Lakes.
CoagX successfully demonstrated that electrocoagulation can remove microplastics in a controlled environment. Through multiple iterations, we improved leak prevention, electrode performance, spacing, and system automation. The final prototype validated our concept and showed that this method is a realistic foundation for future large-scale development and can be used to extract microplastics from the Great Lakes.
How It Works
An electrolysis using four cut mild-steel plates.
A DC pump for collecting the cleaned source.
A coffee filter to easily filter flocs.
A valve system to dump out waste.
An ESP32 and MOSFETS to control the electrocoagulation and the pump.
CAD modelling
3D Printing
Prototyping
Electronics & Hardware Integration
Soldering
C++
Sketching
Communication
Risk Analysis
Engineering Documentation
Problem Solving
Material Selection
Research Writing
Concept Generating
Project Leadership
Problem Solving
Teamwork
Technical Communication
Troubleshooting