Technology to clean rivers of plastic
Rivers are the main route of trash transport to the sea. On average, each year only in the European seas about 626 million “floating items” are dumped.
And we’re not just talking about polluting the sea. Wetlands, rivers, and lakes are the backbone of life, and they are on the same line of plastic pollution.
The problem of river trash is huge! An ecological solution has been developed by an Italian company with the River Cleaning technology. A simple, effective idea and we are sure that, economically quite viable.
They propose a modular technology for river cleaning, with the goal of intercepting, collecting, and accumulating plastic waste and pollutants before they reach the oceans.
The mechanism uses a series of floating devices with propellers that are placed diagonally in the river course. These divert the waste towards a storage area on the shore.
What’s interesting is its ability to operate autonomously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without the need for external energy, as it is self-powered using the river current.
This innovative and sustainable project is adaptable to different types of rivers, regardless of their size or current speed. Additionally, its design ensures that it does not interfere with navigation or harm the fauna or flora of the environment. Key points:
- Continuous operation: The system is self-powered with the river current, minimizing maintenance and ensuring continuous operation without interrupting boat traffic.
- Scalable design: The teeth can be customized to fit different river sizes and environmental conditions, with versions anchored underwater or from above.
- Proven results: Successful installations in Italy, including a pilot project in 2021 in Rosà, recovered more than 100 kg of waste. Since then, improved versions have been deployed in Venice and Milan, contributing to a significant reduction in waste.
This approach addresses the problem of plastic river trash, but also includes solutions for oil spills and other contaminating liquids.
River Cleaning Oil is a more complex mechanism that specializes in collecting oils and other contaminating liquids that spill into rivers.
It uses a method based on absorbent sponges to capture small spills, and a more advanced mechanical system for large volumes of contaminated water.
The company you can consult from River Cleaning, seeks to offer a sustainable and low environmental impact solution, standing out against other market options that are less efficient, more invasive, or expensive like the boat that cleans rivers of plastic.
Their technology allows rivers to be kept clean continuously, reducing the amount of waste that can eventually reach the sea, and contributing to the global fight against plastic pollution.
Remember that we have an excellent article on how to make a homemade plastic recycling machine, where there are also others like a compressor and injector.
And if you still don’t believe that Europe’s rivers are polluting the seas and oceans. You just have to see the following map of the spatial distribution of floating macro-waste contributions in Europe.
On the coasts of Europe. Only about 25% of the evaluated coastal areas are categorized as “non-problematic zone”… almost nothing!
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