In the article, “Boy Genius Boyan
Slat's Giant Ocean Cleanup Machine Is Real,” Schiller (2017) explores the
potential of Boyan Slat’s recent innovation, with claims to radically improve
the situation in the Pacific Garbage Patch, projecting to remove 50% of the plastic
waste within the next 5 years. The article mentions that Slat’s design
functions as an "artificial coastline", utilizing current to entrap
and gather waste for convenient disposal. With the prototype for the former
design failing in the harsh ocean conditions, Slat was able to learn from and
improve his device. The new design replaces the use of foundations with anchors
situated in the deep-sea layer to slow down the boom and facilitate entrapment.
According to Schiller, Slat made 2 claims. Slat’s first claim was that the
revised system will be more robust, affordable, and "scalable" with
plans to increase the quantity of deployed booms by reducing their size. In a
bid to substantiate his colossal projections for trash removal, Slat also
claims to have done extensive simulations on the interaction of marine devices
and trash in its natural environment. Ultimately, he plans to recycle all the
plastic collected in the Patch.
Reference list:
Schiller, B. (2011). Boy Genius Boyan Slat’s Giant Ocean Clean up
Machine is Real. Fast Company. Retrieved January 30, 2020 from https://www.fastcompany.com/40419899/boy-genius-boyan-slats-giant-ocean-cleanup-machine-is-real
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