Innovation against microplastics: URBANFILTER at the Formula 1 race in Zandvoort

• The FIA, the world motorsport governing body, is deploying the smart filter at a racetrack for the first time
• The filter targets microscopic particles from tire wear and other pollutants
• The Audi Environmental Foundation is a pioneer of the URBANFILTER

Since September 2020, the Audi Environmental Foundation has supported the development of smart filters for street drains together with scientists from the Technical University of Berlin and other partners. At the Dutch Grand Prix of Formula 1 in Zandvoort, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) will deploy the URBANFILTER concept for the first time in top-level motorsport.

This innovative concept addresses a major but often overlooked source of pollution in everyday life: contaminants such as tire wear, brake dust, microplastics, and other pollutants that accumulate on the road surface. The goal is to filter as many of these particles as possible out of the environment before they enter the water cycle through rain or wind.

This is where a specially developed filter installed in street drainage channels comes into play. The URBANFILTER concept, developed with support from filtration expert GKD and rainwater specialist ARIS, has proven its effectiveness through laboratory and real-world tests in major cities such as Berlin and Copenhagen, as well as on an ADAC wet-handling track and a winding thoroughfare. During recent testing at the Zandvoort racetrack, a retention rate of up to 99% was achieved, depending on the intensity of the rain and the characteristics of the particles.

“We are proud that the FIA is providing this important issue with a global stage and a testing ground under extreme conditions through its involvement in Formula 1,” says Sven Veit, Managing Director of the Audi Environmental Foundation. “Motorsport is once again proving that it can serve as a technological role model.” Implementing the URBANFILTER concept on a Formula 1 racetrack shows how an innovation developed for urban environments can be scaled up and applied elsewhere.

Founded in 2009 as a wholly owned, nonprofit subsidiary of AUDI AG, the Audi Environmental Foundation focuses on promoting so-called “Greenovation” projects, which use innovative technologies to contribute to the sustainable use of natural resources.

Sven Veit, Managing Director of the Audi Environmental Foundation

Audi has been competing in Formula 1 with its own factory team since the beginning of this season. A key requirement for entering the premier class of motorsport was the FIA’s mandate to use synthetic or biomass-derived fuels, along with a high proportion of electrical energy.

Following a comprehensive audit a few months ago, the FIA awarded a three-star environmental certification to Audi’s Formula 1 power unit development site in Neuburg – the highest level under FIA guidelines. This certification builds on the existing ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certifications and reflects the Neuburg site’s implementation of specific measures, including the use of renewable energy sources for electricity and heat.