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The oceans, rivers and all bodies of water on the planet are being threatened globally by the increasing amount of plastics and microplastics present in them. For this reason, the “Nauco River Clean Up” project has developed an innovative technology for cleaning plastics and microplastics. This system consists of installing a hose installed and anchored across the width, at the bottom of rivers and canals, which through the injection of air generates a barrier of bubbles of different sizes, which brings most of the plastics and microplastics to the surface.
The waste that travels on the surface and underwater in the river waters, when it hits the bubble curtain, is guided towards the shore where the mouth of the garbage collector is located, which is designed to propel the waste out of the river, achieving its extraction and preventing it from reaching the sea.
The novelty of Nauco is that this bubble system is absolutely harmless, it does not damage the environment or alter the natural ecosystem of the river. It allows the passage of fish without disturbing wildlife or the riverside ecosystems. It contributes to the oxygenation of the water and allows navigation and the passage of boats. A simple, effective and low-cost system but with an enormous
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The project has three strategic and local collaborators. For the implementation and deployment of the system, the Municipality of Osorno has facilitated access to the IV Centenario park in the city of Osorno. On the other hand, Corfo is present, thanks to the “Innova Región” fund and the University of Los Lagos, which directly supports the lines of research led by professor and biologist Alejandro Buschmann.
For his part, Dr. Buschamn clarifies that, in addition to the technological development work, this activity includes studies of potential environmental collateral effects that could emerge. Before and during the operation, water and sediment samples were taken, records of the abundance of benthic macrofauna as well as underwater video recordings to establish potential effects that could occur as a result of the installation of the system. All effects that may be found in the studies will require the development of additional mitigation technologies.
