Great news awaits us in September 2018, according to Forbes. Large-scale cleanup of ocean debris begins this Saturday, September 8, in Seaplan Bay near Alameda, California, USA, using the 600-meter floating system System 001 , which can collect about five tons of ocean plastic per month. The Ocean Cleanup project took 5 years to launch and was developed by the Dutch inventor Boyan Slat at the age of 18.
This system, consisting of a 600-meter float on the surface of the water and a 3-meter tapering skirt attached underwater, is expected to remove 50% of the garbage patch in 5 years , and reach 90% by 2040 - after the implementation of all ocean circulation systems .
The essence of the technology lies in the fact that the wind and the ocean current move both plastic debris and a floating system. But due to the float on the surface of the water, it moves faster than plastic debris, which is mostly under water. And the petticoat allows you to collect and move this debris in the right direction. The system's U-shape collects the plastic at the center, and then it is ferried to the ship and sent to the mainland for sorting and processing. In particular, the production of goods from ocean plastic is also planned, and the proceeds from their sales will help finance the project.
Another feature of this system is that it is completely carbon neutral : the floating system works with the help of the natural forces of the ocean and does not require an external power source to collect and concentrate plastic. And all the electronics used are powered by solar energy. The system is also equipped with AIS control programs and special sensors that allow you to track its position and the safety of ships passing through the ocean. This floating system is not afraid of ocean storms, as the project takes into account the load of even strong currents and winds.
Lonneke Holierhoek, Project Executive Director: "We see an urgent need to start cleaning up the ocean - the damage that all this floating plastic is enormous."
See also anekdotig:
- News: " Plastic found in the deepest living organisms on the planet (11 km underwater) " (November 20, 2017)
- News: " Mr. Garbage Wheel Collected 350 Tons of Ocean Trash in Baltimore, USA in 1.5 Years " (December 25, 2015)
- News: " By 2050, over 99% of seabirds will eat plastic " (September 1, 2015)
- Newsletter: " Scientists prove for the first time that zooplankton eat microplastics found in the ocean " (July 27, 2015)
- Article: " Ocean garbage islands - a new heritage of civilization ."
- Video: "Where does the garbage in the ocean come from?" - informative short film .
- Video: What can we do to reduce ocean debris? - informative short film .