Xeros keep beady eye on Symphony washing machine retrofit project

Xeros, the Leeds University spin-out that has developed the polymer cleaning technology, has announced the launch of its Symphony Project, to provide washing machine manufacturers with an “open source” access to its system.

In a Xeros washing machine, detergent and a small amount of water are used to lift dirt from clothing during the agitation phase. This dirt is then absorbed by the polymer beads.

Water is used to pump the beads into the wash, and the same water is then re-circulated through the system to repeat the process, according to Jonathan Benjamin, global president of cleaning technologies at Xeros.

“It looks like a normal washing machine, and all that is really different from a mechanical point of view, is that the beads come into the wash drum, and then are exited through the perforations in the drum and go back into a sump,” he said. “They then get recycled around and around.”