First Ocean-Cleanup-System
Oceancleanup is a non-profit organization with the aim of developing advanced technologies to save the ocean from its increasing plastic pollution.
It is an initiative founded by Boyan Slat at the age of 18 in 2013. Based in Delft, Netherlands; Boyan has received over 70 engineers that joined him in the vision since 2013.
The organization’s passive drifting systems are estimated to clean up half the great Pacific Garbage Patch in 5 years’ time.
Boyan believes that plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is one of the biggest environmental issues of our time, such that it has impacted more than 600 marine species negatively.
In the economic part, the united nations believe plastic pollution is conservatively estimated to have yearly financial damage of 13 billion USD.
The costs stem from plastic’s impact on marine life, tourism, fisheries, and businesses. In health-wise, it does not only impact sea life, it also carries toxic pollutants into the food chain.
The organization is designing and developing the first feasible method to tackle the issue of plastic pollution in the world’s ocean.
After 273 scale model tests, six at-sea prototypes, a comprehensive mapping of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with 30 vessels and airplanes, and several technology iterations, the organization is now ready to launch the first World’s ocean cleanup system.
The system is said to possess the ability to accumulate trash in large quantities, hence; bearing the name “Giant Pac-Man”.
The system consists of a snake-like tubular machine with about a 600-meter-long U-shape floating barrier and a three-meter skirt attached to it.
The design is to help the system gather all the trash using wind and weaves propelled techniques. The giant Pac-man can catch all the waste that crosses its rather long path autonomously.
The U-shape idea will help to funnel the debris to the center of the system. Its ability to move faster than the plastic can help it to act as a giant Pac-man, skimming the surface of the ocean.
A source said that the System 001 is now on its way to its testing location 240 nautical miles offshore.
“It will spend two weeks there completing a trial before it heads to its intended destination, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch”.
