Agile experiment: green walls as a means for collecting microplastics in stormwater

Actor: Innogreen Innogreen / Green House Effect Ltd   ●   Year: 2020   ●   Address:

In cooperation with Baltic Sea Challenge’s speedy experiments, InnoGreen set up a green wall in the Helsinki district of Konala in 2020 to test how vehicle tyre residue can be effectively filtered from stormwater before it reaches the Baltic Sea. 

Description

Road traffic is the number-one source of microplastics in Finland and many other countries. To counter this environmental threat Innogreen developed a prototype for a new solution which utilised a green wall to filter the stormwater running off the roads. This new method was tested for the first time in real-life conditions by a busy motorway.

The trial found that a green wall module can slow down stormwater runoff and significantly reduce the amount of different kinds of microplastics in the water. 

Benefits

Besides tyre residues, green walls can also be used to bring greenery to challenging locations, improving their appeal. Further research will focus on developing the life cycle of the filter material, among other things.

Background information

Four experiments to combat marine litter in the Baltic Sea received altogether 50 000 euros of support from the City of Helsinki. The experiments were conducted during 2020 in Helsinki’s coastal and sea areas to find innovative new means to prevent plastic waste in the Baltic Sea. 

Watch the video presenting InnoGreen's speedy experiment! 

Read the news on the results of all of the experiments (City of Helsinki, 20 Jan 2021)

Further information

Name: Mats Wikström   ●  Email: mats.wikstrom(a)innogreen.fi   ●  Web page: https://innogreen.fi/