Preliminary+Design+-+Team+2

=**Ocean Plastic Recovery Ship Idea**=

Ocean Sweeper
==

Team Two Garbage Patch Solution Synopsis After excruciating research and long debate, our team has determined that the best way to clean up plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is our very own “S.S. DeGarbager”. This state of the art technology has the capability to completely clean our desperate, crying oceans.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is massive in size, occupying twice the size of Texas. There is approximately 7 million tons of garbage, piling up to 9 feet deep in some spots. There is 6 times more plastic than plankton, which is the main food for many marine species.

Basically, the “S.S. DeGarbager” is a floating contraption, built somewhat like a pontoon boat. The idea requires a fleet of “S.S. DeGarbagers” perpetually sailing between Oceanic PLastic Garbage Gyres and processing ports established as close as possible. The technology is guided by a combination of auto pilot, anti-collision radar, satellite imagery, and remote control/monitoring.

Our technology will be fitted with cameras, lasers, and other sensor telemetry that is connected to its computer and can all be monitored by a central control center. This would allow the technology to find the heaviest concentrations of plastic trash floating at any given time from satellite imagery.

As the “S.S. DeGarbager” approaches the plastic trash, it lowers its filtering barge tray below the waterline, angling it into the Gyre so the trash can be scooped directly into the barge tray.

The ship would power through the trash gyre. Filters on the barge tray allow water and small fish to pass through, while collecting trash evenly across the barge tray until it is full. Once the “S.S. DeGarbager” is full, it will be able to raise its barge tray out of the water and eventually will dump it into a processing site, where the trash will be disposed of properly.

To dispose of the trash, the barge tray will lower back down into the water, allowing the materials it contains to float to the surface. From here, our state of the art processing centers will be able to collect all the trash. Afterwards, the “S.S. DeGarbager” leaves the port for its next journey to a trash gyre.

Some benefits of our design include that the barge tray is scooping only - not processing, shredding or compressing garbage (which usually causes more of a mess). Also, the barge tray is open at the top, allowing birds, turtles, seals, penguins, etc to leave the barge during transport. We are also considering using a sort of radar-like technology, that will actually reduce the number of fish around our vesile.

Overall, our project was a success and we believe we have discovered the best, most cost efficient and productive clean up method of the oceanic garbage gyres.