The Ocean Cleanup stated that 11,353 kilos of plastic pollutants had been extracted from the waters of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch using cutting-edge technology. The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit environmental group that Boyan Slat founded in 2013. It focuses on cleaning up marine plastic trash.
The North Pacific Ocean has the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is twice the size of Texas and contains enormous amounts of pollution that are caught in a circular circulation. The group works to clean up the area’s floating plastic pollution, which unquestionably harms important ecosystems, has an adverse effect on human health owing to bioaccumulation, and has a detrimental influence on the economy.
CEO Slat outlined why it is crucial to concentrate on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in an exclusive interview with BBC in February: There are some sections of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch that are almost completely devoid of plastic, and other places that have very high plastic densities. We can obviously be a lot more productive in our cleanup efforts if we are consistently cleaning up inside those hotspots.
The technology that The Ocean Cleanup uses was carefully chosen and is incredibly efficient. The company uses a U-shaped barrier to collect plastic waste from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch without endangering marine life.
Artificial intelligence is a key component of the Ocean Cleanup’s success in addition to the net-like barrier. The crew can quickly scan the ocean’s surface for plastic with AI-powered cameras. Thus, for the most effective plastic cleanup, the AI can direct the working team to particular areas of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
The Ocean Cleanup attributes the record-breaking plastic removal to the switch to System 03, a larger and more effective model than previous ones. The Ocean Cleanup developed System 03 with improved operational performance and higher structural integrity while taking into account the cost per kilogram of plastic removed.
Other Technological Successes of The Ocean Cleanup
Global rivers are a focus of the Ocean Cleanup as well. The nonprofit group views monitoring trash in rivers as effective and essential because it is via them that the majority of plastic contaminants enter seas.
The Ocean Cleanup utilizes the Interceptor Original to effectively collect plastic pollutants in various bodies of water. This technological system uses intelligent processing and solar-powered mechanics to collect floating rubbish. As a result, the data transfers, lighting, sensors, shuttle, and conveyer belt are all energy-neutral and have no negative effects on the environment.
Rivers with high pollution levels can be found to contain The Interceptor Original in places like Malaysia, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, and California. In an interview with BBC, Slat stated, “We are intercepting plastic in 11 rivers around the world, but ultimately aim to scale this to all 1,000 heaviest polluting rivers in the world.”
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