26 min
Season 2 Episode 4: A CLEANR Wash think[box] Radio
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- Science
You might be surprised to learn that the biggest single source of microplastics in our drinking water is your laundry. The fibers and dies in your clothes teem with specs of plastic, which flow out in the washing machine wastewater. It’s an unseen mess that a trio of young Case engineers aims to clean up. Their startup, CLEANR, is developing a washing machine filter—just as many states and nations are poised to mandate such a device.
Tapping campus resources
Max Pennington ’22, David Dillman and Chip Miller became friends through their fraternity, Sigma Chi. But they became partners because of their shared concern for microplastics in our in our drinking water.
Pennington, a chemical engineering major, alerted his classmates to the problem and they resolved to find a solution. They combined their skills and their passions to launch CLEANR, which incorporated in July of 2022. They also tapped the entrepreneurship resources available to students at CWRU. Those include the campus startup consultancy, LaunchNet, the classes and advising offered by the Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship, and the fabrication and prototyping equipment of Sears think[box], where CLEANR is headquartered.
Their story illustrates what can happen when drive meets resources—as it often does at Case.
Follow the company on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/cleanrh2o/
Company website: https://c212.adwatchmedia.com/
You might be surprised to learn that the biggest single source of microplastics in our drinking water is your laundry. The fibers and dies in your clothes teem with specs of plastic, which flow out in the washing machine wastewater. It’s an unseen mess that a trio of young Case engineers aims to clean up. Their startup, CLEANR, is developing a washing machine filter—just as many states and nations are poised to mandate such a device.
Tapping campus resources
Max Pennington ’22, David Dillman and Chip Miller became friends through their fraternity, Sigma Chi. But they became partners because of their shared concern for microplastics in our in our drinking water.
Pennington, a chemical engineering major, alerted his classmates to the problem and they resolved to find a solution. They combined their skills and their passions to launch CLEANR, which incorporated in July of 2022. They also tapped the entrepreneurship resources available to students at CWRU. Those include the campus startup consultancy, LaunchNet, the classes and advising offered by the Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship, and the fabrication and prototyping equipment of Sears think[box], where CLEANR is headquartered.
Their story illustrates what can happen when drive meets resources—as it often does at Case.
Follow the company on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/cleanrh2o/
Company website: https://c212.adwatchmedia.com/
26 min