The goal of our innovation is to clean up microplastics from the ocean but to understand what this project entails and why it’s needed, one must first define microplastics and how they end up in our oceans.

Microplastics are any pieces of plastic that have an approximate length of less than five millimeters, and their categorization varies based on their exact composition. There are two general microplastic types: Primary and secondary. When released into the water, primary microplastics are smaller than five millimeters in length, whereas secondary microplastics are larger bits of plastic that degrade into microplastics over time in the ocean. Although they can be found deep in the ocean, the majority of these microplastics are located on the surface. Marine life is seriously impacted by microplastics, causing them harm or even death when ingested or breathed in. Additionally, ingesting microplastics stays in the food chain and damages all kinds of marine life. In addition, because microplastics are present in so many fluids, including drinking water, they also affect people in largely unknown ways (Microplastics In The Ocean: Everything You Need To Know, 2023). Finally, the microplastics’ harm to marine life can harm some economies that are largely dependent on fish, or harm such populations whose food sources come from the oceans or any water sources (Tracking Global Marine Microplastics, 2023).

The problem at hand is how to solve this issue of microplastics in the ocean. One approach to the problem is by addressing the problem from its roots and preventing any macroplastics from reaching the ocean in the first place. However, because we understand that humans will continue contributing to the release of plastics in the ocean, then the other popular approach is to clean up the microplastics from the ocean or undo the years and years of microplastic pollution.

The question then lies: How are we going to clean up microplastics from our world’s oceans? This is exactly why an engineering-based innovation is needed. Microplastics exist in massive numbers and they are so small that humans can’t clean them up by hand or by using simple tools. It is necessary for an engineering-based innovation because otherwise cleaning up microplastics is virtually impossible. This task is not easy because there are certain limits to the innovation, such as that it has to be efficient and not too costly, as well as environmentally friendly to make sure that the innovation doesn’t disrupt any other natural occurrences by this cleanup. Some innovations dealing with this problem already exist, and they are all engineering-based in some sense, and it is our mission to take some knowledge from this innovation and build our innovation that is all-encompassing in function and design.

Section 2: Previous Innovations

Many innovations aim to solve the microplastic problem in the ocean, and each has its unique way of cleaning up tiny particles. Three popular innovations will be discussed below, with the disadvantages of each explained in detail.

Nanotech Technology:

This technology, popularly known as nano coils, aims to break down microplastics into smaller pieces through chemical reactions. These chemical reactions eventually convert microplastics into water and carbon dioxide gas. The main problem is that the technology was not tested enough times and researchers aren’t sure if this technology works on all kinds of microplastics or only the ones tested on. Similarly, the impacts of this technology on ocean water and marine life are unclear, increasing the risk factor associated with this technology (McCoy, 2019).

Magnet Innovation:

This innovation relies on a magnetic fluid, known as ferrofluid, which the user mixes with microplastics. When the user then uses a magnet, the magnet picks up the solution of ferrofluid and microplastics and leaves off the water. The main problem with this innovation is that there is no evidence this would be as effective in the real world as other innovations, especially given the multiple dimensions of the process. Attempts to implement this technology in pipelines have been made, but due to the complex nature of this innovation, it is difficult to effectively clean the microplastics without any serious downsides, such as ruining the water quality (Gerretsen, 2022).

Robotic Fish:

A team of engineers designed a small robotic fish that is composed of materials that absorb and collect microplastics as the fish moves through the ocean. This robotic fish is small in size and has self-healing properties in the case of taking damage to its robotic body. There are two main problems with this technology. One problem is the size of the fish, which is small enough to collect microplastic samples but is not big enough to clean the oceans in an impactful manner. The size is so small that the fish could be mistaken by other marine life for food, which could be fatal for marine life. Similarly, research on this technology is nowhere near complete, so the effectiveness of this technology in the real world can not yet be measured (Guardian News and Media, 2022).

Section 3: Technical Description

Background on Innovation:

The goal of this innovation is to clean microplastics from the ocean. The innovation will be connected to a ship that will travel in areas in the ocean with high microplastic concentrations. It will sit just below the surface of the water. It can come in many various sizes, depending on the size of the ship or boat. It will filter out microplastics, and the filter will be cleaned manually when the ship or boat is docked. Further explanations and graphics of the parts and subparts of the innovations are included below. The written technical description is divided into three sections, decided for the three sections of the innovation: The front section(where the water enters), the middle section, and the end section(where the water exits).

Front section:

The front section is made out of a stainless steel outer layer. This is advantageous as stainless steel corrodes and rusts much less readily than other materials underwater and in the air (David, 2021). On top of the stainless steel outer layer sits a curved solar panel that is responsible for generating energy for the reverse osmosis process happening inside the system. This is a clean and reliable form of energy, as it works very well underwater where the sun’s wavelength reaches the surface and is very effective with steel because of the material’s slow oxidative properties (Admin, 2023). The very front of the innovation is a dilating door, and it is where the water will enter the interior filtration system. A dilating door is effective at controlling exactly how much water enters the system. The dilating door is connected to some electronics that are also connected to sensors on the sides of the interior (Zposner, & Instructables, 2017). These sensors are meant to detect the amount of water in the system, signaling for the dilating door to open only when the system is filled with less than ⅔ water internally. Another sensor connected to the front of the innovation is responsible for detecting microplastics through vibrations. This sensor connects to technology on the ship, where the people navigating the ship can then decide on where to move in the ocean depending on where most microplastics are. Once the water enters the system, it is met by a round, stainless steel physical filter barrier that filters out any particles more than 10 millimeters in size. Though these are not classified as microplastics, they are still plastics that if decomposed lead to an increase in microplastics in the ocean. In other words, we are cleaning the bigger plastics before they decompose into microplastics.

Middle Section:

The middle section is similar to the front section in many ways. It is made up of a stainless steel outer core and a curved solar panel that sits on top as well. Unlike the front section, this part has a round, stainless steel physical filter barrier that filters out any particles more than 5 millimeters in size. This filtration barrier is meant to filter out any plastics that are not categorized as microplastics, allowing only microplastics to reach the next stage of reverse osmosis filtration.

End Section:

This end section is also made out of a stainless steel outer section and solar panels on top of the steel. Internally, a reverse osmosis system is set in place, with materials responsible for filtering out any microparticles, including the microplastics, leaving only freshwater to exit the system. The reverse osmosis system is made out of the following layers: Polystyrene base, polysulfone layer, polyamide layer, Vexar (Feed Channel Spacer), and permeate spacer. These materials separate the microplastics from the water, and this system is covered by a stainless steel cover with an opening, allowing freshwater to exit the system back into the ocean (YouTube, 2013).

Section 4: Process of Innovation

The process of building the innovation is manageable but could use some time and effort in assembling some systems. The main materials for the innovation are described in detail in the technical description. These materials include stainless steel for its non-corrosive properties, the artificial semi-permeable membranes used in reverse osmosis for isolating microplastics, the dilating door for controlling water flow, solar panels for capturing solar energy, and sensors to detect microplastics in the ocean. Other materials include the physical filter barriers that are cut to size to filter out specific-sized particles. Constructing the shape of the innovation and implementing the physical barriers is not a costly nor very timely process, as stainless steel is moderate in price, and shaping it is easier using modern machinery. However, the implementation of the dilating door takes much time and is somewhat costly given the electronics involved. Furthermore, the implementation of solar panels will be costly but doesn’t take much time. However, systems like the sensors and reverse osmosis systems will require both a great amount of time and money for implementation. This implementation will also take the most labor, power, and energy; labor will also be needed as someone needs to be on the ships to keep track of the sensor’s data, and go to wherever the sensors detect the most microplastics to be.

When the innovation is in use, it will take some time, namely a couple of hours, to filter out the microplastics. Additionally, the innovation will require lots of energy, hence why the solar panel system is implemented, and if necessary there could be other sources of energy on the ship. If the innovation ever malfunctions, there are always people on the ship who should specialize in fixing the innovation, so it is required that they know the details of the innovation and how to deal with any problems that arise.

Works Cited

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Gerretsen, I. (2022, February 24). How to fight microplastic pollution with magnets. BBC Future. Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210825-how-to-fight-microplastic-pollution-with-magnets

Guardian News and Media. (2022, June 22). Scientists unveil Bionic Robo-Fish to remove microplastics from seas. The Guardian. Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/22/scientists-unveil-bionic-robo-fish-to-remove-microplastics-from-seas

McCoy, B. (2019, July 31). This new nanotech could help clean up Earth’s microplastics. PBS. Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/this-new-nanotech-could-help-clean-up-earths-microplastics

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Tracking global marine microplastics. National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). (2023, February 8). Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/tracking-global-marine-microplastics#:~:text=Tiny%20Particles%2C%20Big%20Issues,the%20fish%20that%20humans%20eat

YouTube. (2013). How does reverse osmosis work? YouTube. Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVdWqbpbv_Y.

Zposner, & Instructables. (2017, July 18). Mechanical iris door. Instructables. Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://www.instructables.com/Mechanical-Iris-Door/

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