A New Water Filtration Design Based on Manta Rays Developed

US researchers developed a new water filtration system inspired by the feeding mechanism of selected stingrays. Its design is based on how mobula rays, a group that includes manta and devil rays, filter plankton from seawater.

Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, the study reveals how these marine creatures achieve a balance between allowing water to flow freely and capturing food particles. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers replicated this natural system using advanced 3D printing technology, producing a model of the grooved plates found in the mouths of manta rays.

To build their system, the engineers constructed a pipe lined with two flat panels connected at the edges. A 3D-printed structure resembling the rays’ feeding plates was placed at one end of the pipe.

Researchers discovered that vortices naturally formed between the plates when water was pumped through the system. These vortices trapped particles and directed them along the surface of the filter, forming a crossflow filtration system commonly used in industrial water treatment.

Anette Hosoi, one of the study’s authors, emphasized that the manta ray provides valuable insights for designing practical filtration systems:

“We have provided practical guidance on how to actually filter as the mobula ray does…the mobula ray is giving us a really nice rule of thumb for rational design.”

The manta ray-inspired system offers a promising avenue for improving water treatment processes, combining nature’s ingenuity with modern engineering to tackle industrial pollution more effectively.

Read the full article here to learn more about this innovative water filtration design.

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