Trapping 'bubble' promises to solve the problem of plastic waste in the ocean

An interesting technology is being tested by Dutch scientists, using air bubbles to decompose plastic waste in the ocean.

If you have the opportunity to go through the canal in the Amsterdam district of West Westddok you can see piles of garbage gathered at the edge of the canal. You can see that the pollution is not mild, but when viewed positively, it is a very good way to treat waste.

Here, scientists are piloting a bubble fence to prevent plastic waste from flowing into the sea. This pilot process lasted more than three years and was done by start-up The Great Bubble Barrier of the Netherlands.This technology is generally similar to the bubble barriers used to prevent oil spills.

This interesting idea uses a bubble wall with a perforated pipe system , blowing compressed air out of the water, thereby pushing the bottom plastic waste to the surface of the water, which is convenient for picking up garbage. The unique feature of this plastic waste trap model is that it does not interfere with boats or animals. Air bubbles blowing to the bottom not only prevent the waste stream from settling, but also make it much easier to collect waste.

Even according to the researchers, this bubble barrier can fight the growth of harmful algae and increase the concentration of oxygen in the water.

Air bubbles blowing to the bottom not only prevent the waste stream from settling, but also make it much easier to collect waste.

The pipe system is placed at an appropriate angle so that waste will be pushed along the flow of the water to the other end of the canal, where the collection tank is located, thereby facilitating the collection and treatment.

The system trapped 86% of plastic waste on average, preventing it from escaping and entering the ocean.

Results from the pilot process show that this is a very useful system. When placed on the canal, it trapped an average of 86% of plastic waste, preventing them from escaping and invading the ocean. In addition, this system can analyze trap wastes and plastic pollution levels in Amsterdam.

In the future, the researchers hope to trap smaller wastes that Amsterdam garbage collection vessels cannot.

According to the World Economic Forum estimated in 2016, about 8 million tons of plastic are released into the ocean each year. Another study published in Science in 2015 found that the actual number could range from 4.8 million to 12.7 million tons of plastic waste.

If plastic waste along the river goes to the ocean, this special bubble-collecting technology promises to significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste that goes out into the ocean.

It is no coincidence the whole world is calling to stop plastic waste from the ocean. Because creatures can get caught in them, affect their ability to move, hunt, even die from swallowing plastic waste. What is more dangerous is that tiny pieces of plastic can enter the bodies of creatures such as fish, squids, . and accidentally enter the human body when we ingest.