젊은 발명가 플라스틱 폐기물 바다 강에서 제거

[창조도전]

Science & Technology

Dutch Inventor Demonstrates Device

to Remove Plastic from Rivers...

from Rivers

October 28, 2019 

네델란드 18살의 젊은 발명가가 

강에서 플라스틱 폐기물을

제거하는 장치을 발명하였다.

---

Young Dutch inventor Boyan Slat unveils the Interceptor in Rotterdam,

Netherlands, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019.

The Interceptor, a new garbage-collecting floating device

is moored at a dock in Rotterdam,

Netherlands, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019.

18살의 네달란드 발명가가 태평양에서

떠다니는 플라스틱 폐기물을 치우기 위한 노력을 넒히고 있다.

Boyan Slat 란 청년이 이 시스템을 발명했을 때는,

불과 18살이고, 7년이 지나 이제 25살에

이 " 인터셒트 INTERCEPTOR " 라는

기계시스템 장치, 바다로 흘러들어가기전에

강에서 플르스틱을 제거하는 장치을 완성하여

실용하고 있고, 이 장치는 에너지을 태양으로부터

취득하여 작동한다.

모든 쓰레기들은 강에서 바다로 흘러들어가는데,

이 인터셒트 장치가 이것을 막는다.

전에는 바다에 떠돌아다니는 프레스틱 폐기물에만

관심을 기울었지만, 이제는 강, 개울,해변지역에서

매년 800 만톤의 폐기물이 바다로 흘러들어가서,

물고기와 다른 생명체들을 위험에 빠뜨렸다.

현재 이미, 이 장치들은 인도네시아,말레이시아,

베트남에서 실전배치되어 기능을 작동하고 있고,

매우 효과적으로 플라스틱 폐기물들을 제거하고 있다.

발명자인 SLAT 스랫에 따르면,

1,000 개의 강에서 세계바다로 흘러들어가는

프라스틱 폐기물의 약 80%가

이 기계에 의해, 처리되고 있다고 한다.

5년후에는 더 많이 깨끗하게

환경이 나아질것이라 강조한다.

이 기계구입비용은 USD 775,600 ( 한화 8억원 ) 하는데,

그러나 수량이 많아지면,

그 구입 단가는 점점 줄어들거라고 한다.

이 장치의 효과는 엄청나고,

프라스틱 폐기물 제거로 얻는

환경 및 경제적효과는 상당하다.

이런 장치을 설치않할때을 가정하여 봐라.

우리의 환경은 얼마나 파괴되었을 지을 ~~

A young Dutch inventor is widening his effort to clean up floating plastic

from the Pacific Ocean. He has developed a floating device

to trap plastic waste moving into rivers before it reaches the high seas.

Boyan Slat was just 18 years old when he invented a system for catching waste in the ocean. He also founded an environmental group called The Ocean Cleanup.

Its purpose is to develop and deploy the system.

Last Saturday, the 25-year-old Slat announced the next step in his fight:

a floating device that he calls the “Interceptor.” It removes plastic out of rivers.

The device is powered by energy from the sun.

“We need to close the tap, which means preventing more plastic

from reaching the ocean in the first place,” Slat said.

He added that rivers are “the arteries that carry the trash from land to sea.”

The Ocean Cleanup has been criticized in the past for directing its attention only

on plastic waste already in the world’s oceans.

Experts say 8 million metric tons of waste flow into the ocean each year from rivers,

creeks and seaside areas. The plastic endangers fish and other sea creatures.

Three of the machines have already been deployed to Indonesia,

Malaysia and Vietnam. Slat said a fourth is going to the Dominican Republic.

Izham Hashim, a Malaysian government official,

was present at the Interceptor’s launch in his country.

Hashim told The Associated Press (AP) that he was happy with the machine.

“It has been used for 1 1/2 months in the river and it’s doing very well,

collecting the plastic bottles and all the rubbish,” he said.

Slat said he believes 1,000 rivers are responsible for about 80% of plastic

going into the world’s oceans. He said he wants to try to clean them all in the next five years.

He added, “This is not going to be easy, but imagine if we do get this done.

We could truly make our oceans clean again.”

Slat used his announcement to ask for support from countries interested

in cleaning up their rivers. He also wants support from businesses prepared

to offer financial support and help with the operation of the devices.

The Interceptor is designed to be secured in rivers. Its nose is shaped t

o deflect away larger floating objects like tree trunks.

The interceptors work by guiding plastic waste into an opening in the front of the devices.

The waste is then carried inside the machine where it is dropped into containers.

The interceptor sends a text message to local operators that can come

and empty it when it is full.

Slat demonstrated how it worked by putting hundreds of yellow rubber ducks

into the water at the launch event in the Dutch city of Rotterdam.

The interceptor caught nearly all of them.

Each machine currently costs about $775,600.

Slat said the cost will likely drop as production increases.

Jan van Franeker is with the Wageningen Marine Research institute.

He has been critical of The Ocean Cleanup in the past,

but said the new device looks promising.

He told the AP, “I am really happy they finally moved toward the source of the litter. T

he design, from what I can see, looks pretty good.”

Slat argued that the economic effect of not removing plastic from rivers

is higher than the cost of buying and using the machines.

“Deploying interceptors is even cheaper than deploying nothing at all,” he noted.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

arteries – n. large roads, rivers, railroad lines, etc.

cheaper – adj. at a lower price

deflect – v. to keep something, such as a question,

from affecting or being directed at a person or thing

litter – n. things that have been thrown away and that are lying

on the ground in a public place; a messy pile or group of things

source – n. the cause of something, such as a problem

Peace - Frederic Delarue