Human hair used as protective barrier in oceans
Published on 10/08/2026 - 7:22 GMT+2 As the Portuguese saying goes: "At first it feels strange, then it gets under your skin." The same happens when you first hear about a...
Published on 10/08/2026 - 7:22 GMT+2
As the Portuguese saying goes: "At first it feels strange, then it gets under your skin." The same happens when you first hear about a project that turns human hair into a barrier to filter oil and plastics from the ocean.
The technology, already used in other countries such as Chile and the United States of America, inspired Mariana Robrahn, founder of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Fiotrar, to create and develop this project in Brazil.
The tests were carried out for the first time in Enseada de Bom Jesus, on the shores of Guanabara Bay in the state of Rio de Janeiro, where a rubbish containment barrier was already in place.
"These filters are fixed to the orange floating barrier that retains rubbish, and we use it as a support for Fiotrar's barrier," explains environmental engineer Ana Beatriz Gonçalves, who is responsible for the weekly maintenance of the new barriers.
So, in Guanabara Bay, instead of small boats with crews casting nets to catch fish, it is now common to see a kind of cylinder packed with hair, also known as a "blanket", being thrown into the water to form a barrier that traps oil, biodiesel and other polluting substances.
The barriers can remain in the sea for up to four months, capturing pollution "from vessels, illegal discharges and other sources of contamination", explains chemist Caroline Carvalho.
The project was born in a country with a high number of hair salons, which gives it major potential, as its main raw material is almost inexhaustible.
Around a dozen hair salons donate the cut hair that will not be used to make wigs, for the production of these "eco blankets".
Animal fur can also be used to filter and absorb oil.
Mariana Robrahn, the NGO's founder, is no stranger to using hair for good causes: in 2013, she launched the solidarity project "Cabelegria", aimed at making wigs from donated hair for cancer patients.
Oil spills harm fishing activity
Because of heavy maritime traffic, with ships constantly coming and going, Guanabara Bay has been suffering from various types of pollution for decades and was therefore chosen as one of the sites to test the project.
In an interview with AP, local fisherman Sérgio Carvalho described the serious pollution problem affecting the area.
"When we go out to fish with nets, we come across many oil spills that harm our work. The oil stays on the surface but affects everything down to about a metre and a half in depth. The fish disappear," he says.
The hope of the fishing community, as well as of all the environmental groups involved in the project, is that these hair barriers will help restore ecosystems and contribute to reducing pollution in the bay.
