Fantastic imagination from the Dutch.... Again.
- Thread starter Salty seadog
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AuroraSaab
Legendary Member
That's a very clever idea. It will be interesting to see how much it collects after a few years.
deptfordmarmoset
Senior Member
I'm sure that it will collect thousands of tons, which is great. I'm less sure about how much microplastic it will be able to catch. The article mentions ''tiny plastic'' but doesn't mention the micro stuff. While microplastic is an established term, referring to ''tiny plastic'' instead looks a bit like PR marketing to me. Unfortunate, because it's a start.
The Crofted Crest
Active Member
The Dutch have been using this technology for ages, mainly to oxygenate dead rivers, prevent algae build-up, etc. Its use to catch plastic is also not new, nor is its application exclusive to Holland.
Sounds like very lazy journalism. Sorry about that.
Sounds like very lazy journalism. Sorry about that.
BoldonLad
Old man on a bike. Not a member of a clique.
- Location
- South Tyneside
Isn’t the preferred solution for people to dispose of their plastic waste correctly, and not just throw it away?
matticus
Veteran
They seem to have talked to the actual engineers/scientists involved, and printed what they were told. Remember it's the Guardian, not Nature or New Scientist.
What extra do you do when reporting on such things?
matticus
Veteran
How can you not love science done with tangerines:
Dr Frans Buschman, a researcher in environmental hydrodynamics from the independent institute Deltares, has tested the barrier in Amsterdam, using about 1,000 tagged tangerines. “We released them at several points and counted how many were captured,” he says. “From the side of the catchment system it was up to 90%; sometimes on the other side we noticed it was substantially lower, probably because there’s a one spot where the bubble intensity is not so high, and some tangerines were passing there.”
