Friday, April 5, 2013

19-year-old scientist's invention could clear oceans of 7 million tons of plastic

A young scientist has announced plans to develop an Ocean Cleanup Array that could remove 7 million tons of plastic polluting the world's oceans.

19-year-old Boyan Slat has invented a device made of an anchored network of floating booms and processing platforms meant to be deployed to garbage patches around the world.

The array would span the radius of a garbage patch, acting as a giant funnel. The angle of the booms would force plastic in the direction of the platforms, where it would be separated from plankton, filtered and stored for recycling.

For more of the Inhabitat story: inhabitat.com

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