22-year-old student develops washing machine that can save the world

Twenty two-year-old student Dylan Knight of Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has discovered a simple trick that will reduce the weight of standard washing machines, thereby making them environment-friendly. The trick was developed as a part of his final project run by product design firm Tochi Tech, with the help of engineering professor, Amin Al-Habaibeh. NTU claims that the invention can save 45,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide on the 3.5mm washing machines sold in UK each year.

A standard washing machine ideally weighs roughly 25kgs, with most of the weight comprising of concrete located on top of the system that keeps it steady during the spin cycle. This makes it difficult for the appliance to be transported from place to place. Knight has discovered a way to replace the concrete with an empty plastic container, which could be filled with water to act as the counterweight once the washing machine has been replaced, reported The Telegraph.

"Concrete is actually quite bad for the environment due to the CO2 released when it’s produced. The use of concrete is also the reason why washing machines are normally very heavy to move,” says Knight. “The hollow container is left unfilled until the appliance is installed. We found it worked as good as a concrete counterweight, stopping the spinning drum from heavily vibrating the machine,” he added.

This change is believed to make the machine lighter to transport, thereby saving expenses incurred on labour and fuel. The design will be pitched to global manufacturers soon, in hopes of changing the way washing machines are made.