Low energy consuming garbage patch gathering and classifying equipment and method using catamaran

By mooring or slowly moving the catamaran in a current through which a garage patch formed of disused plastic particles over than 90% is drifting, a heap of the marine debris flows into the bow of the catamaran and then is smashed. While the disused plastic particles that have been smashed at the bow of the catamaran is moving from the bow toward the stern by way of the tunnel between hulls of the catamaran, the plastic particles are first classified by differences of densities. These first classified plastic particles are collected and then transferred into a narrow and long inside of the catamaran, being finally classified by a triboelectrostatic action. Thereafter, these finally classified plastic particles are made to be pallets which are to be transported to a land facility for recycling or abandoning them.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a National Stage of International Patent Application No. PCT/KR2012/007083 filed on Sep. 4, 2012, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a) to Korean Application No. 10-2012-0097645, filed on Sep. 4, 2012, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety as set forth in full.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The inventive concept relates generally to technology for resolving garbage patches made up of garbage dumped into the sea, and particularly to low energy consuming garbage patch gathering and classifying equipment and a method using a catamaran.

2. Related Art

Garbage patches are typically made up of garbage drifting along currents about in the sea after being dumped from the land and vessels, 90 percentage of which is known as consisting of disused plastics (Tarmanaha, M. and Moore, C., 2010). Some garbage patches are estimated as large as the American continent. As a large amount of fragile particles of disused plastics thereof is steadily contaminating marine environments, being inadvertently taken into marine creatures, there could be a lot of effects even directly to human lives such as exhaustion and pollution of fisheries as well as disturbance in marine ecosystems.

As for the troubles due to garbage patches, such an extraordinary amount of garbage is widely distributed over a vast area as large as the American continent and into a considerable depth about several meters, so that there could be a limit to gathering them. Moreover, because of a high cost in gathering and transporting the garbage to the land for recycling or abandoning them, it is still difficult to resolve the practical barriers while those problems are becoming heavier.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, to resolve the aforementioned garbage patch problems being deteriorated as long as time, embodiments of the inventive concept are directed to low energy consuming garbage patch gathering and classifying equipment and a method using a catamaran in marine environments.

In an aspect, a low energy consuming garbage patch gathering and classifying equipment using a catamaran, which is mooring or moving on a current through which a garbage patch is drifting, may include: a bow crusher installed at a bow of the catamaran, and configured to collect and smash marine debris that are approaching toward the bow of the catamaran; a density-based classifier configured to form a tunnel between hulls of the catamaran, and enable disused plastic particles, which have been smashed by the bow crusher, to be naturally classified with different water depths and move ranges by density while drifting through a current in the tunnel between hulls of the catamaran; a collector, as a net-type structure installed at the density-based classifier, configured to collect the disused plastic particles, which are differently classified in water depth and move range by density while passing through the density-based classifier, in accordance with differences of densities; and a triboelectrostatic classifier installed within or out of the hull of the catamaran, and configured to enable the disused plastic particles, which have been caught by the collector, to be charged in different electrodes while being transferred with friction through a conveyor belt that are trembling and then enable the disused plastic particles to be classified by differences of the charged electrodes.

In another aspect, a method operable in low energy consuming garbage patch gathering and classifying equipment using a catamaran including a bow crusher, a density-based classifier, a collector, a triboelectrostatic classifier, a washer, a stern retriever, and a pellet former, the method may include the steps of: inducing marine debris to flow into a bow of the catamaran while the catamaran is mooring or moving in a current through which a garbage patch is drifting; collecting and smashing the marine debris, which is approaching toward the bow of the catamaran, in the bow crusher; enabling disused plastic particles, which have been smashed by the bow crusher, to be naturally classified with different water depths and move ranges by density in the density-based classifier while drifting through a current in the tunnel between hulls of the catamaran; collecting the disused plastic particles, which are differently classified in water depth and move range by density in the collector while passing through the density-based classifier, in accordance with differences of densities; and enabling the disused plastic particles, which have been caught by the collector, to be charged in different electrodes while being transferred with friction through a conveyor belt that are trembling, by the triboelectrostatic classifier, and then enabling the disused plastic particles to be classified by differences of the charged electrodes.

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the inventive concept herein may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the attached drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which some exemplary embodiments are shown. However, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative for purposes of describing exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept.

Embodiments of the inventive concept, for resolving the aforementioned garbage patch problems being deteriorated as long as time, are directed to low energy consuming garbage patch gathering and classifying equipment and a method using a catamaran in marine environments.

For the purpose of the aforementioned direction, embodiments of the inventive concept provides to low energy consuming garbage patch gathering and classifying equipment and a method using a catamaran. Equipment according to embodiments of the inventive concept may be comprised of a bow crusher40, a density-based classifier50, a collector60, and a triboelectrostatic classifier70. Various aspects will be hereinafter described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1schematically illustrates a basic feature according to the inventive concept. If a catamaran30is mooring or slowly moving on a current through which garbage patch is drifting, marine debris10flows into the bow of the catamaran30, being strained while moving along a tunnel between hulls, and finally removed at the stern of the catamaran30. Consequently, a clean current flows out of the stern.

In more detail with reference toFIG. 1, by mooring or slowly moving the catamaran30in a current through which a garage patch formed of disused plastic particles over than 90% is drifting, a heap of the marine debris10flows into the bow of the catamaran30and then is smashed. While the disused plastic particles (20ofFIG. 2) that have been smashed at the bow of the catamaran30is moving from the bow toward the stern by way of the tunnel between hulls of the catamaran30, the plastic particles20are first classified by differences of densities. These first classified plastic particles20are collected and then transferred into a narrow and long inside of the catamaran30, being finally classified by a triboelectrostatic action. Thereafter, these finally classified plastic particles20are made to be pallets which are to be transported to a land facility for recycling or abandoning them. During this, the marine debris10is finally removed at the stern of the catamaran30, resulting in a clean current that flows out of the stern.

FIG. 2schematically illustrates a configuration of a catamaran30, in which a bow crusher40is installed, and a feature of naturally classifying disused plastic particles20with varying water depths and move ranges along density while the plastic particles20are transferring through a current in the density-based classifier.

The bow crusher40is installed at the bow of the catamaran30(FIG. 2). Meanwhile, in an embodiment, the catamaran30may act to induce the marine debris10to flow into the bow while it is mooring or slowly moving on a current through which the garbage patch is drifting (FIG. 1). During this, the bow crusher40may collect and smash the marine debris10which is approaching toward the bow of the catamaran30(FIG. 2). Here, most of the marine debris10smashed by the bow crusher40may consist of the disused plastic particles20.

The density-based classifier50may operate to utilize the tunnel between hulls of the catamaran30(FIG. 1,FIG. 2). The disused plastic particles20smashed by the bow crusher40are moving in the density-based classifier50, which is placed in connection with the read side of the bow crusher40, i.e., in the tunnel between hulls of the catamaran30, along a current and then naturally classified while differentiating in water depth and move range by density (FIG. 2). In other words, considering that among the disused plastic particles20, particles with higher density are inclined to sink deeper and move shorter, while moving, than particles with lower density, the density-based classifier50may function to classify the disused plastic particles20by density. These plastic particles20first classified into similar kinds of densities after passing through the density-based classifier50will be further classified into kinds of electrodes charged by electrodes, but similar in density, while passing through the triboelectrostatic classifier that will be described later.

FIG. 3schematically illustrates a configuration of the collector60to gather the disused plastic particles20classified by density while the plastic particles20are passing through the density-based classifier50.

The collector60may be a net-type structure which is installed in the density-based classifier50(FIG. 3). In more detail, the collector60may be a net-type collector which is installed on the hull surface of the catamaran30in the tunnel between hulls of the catamaran30. The collector60may act to collect the disused plastic particles20, which are classified into different depths and ranges while passing through the tunnel between hulls of the catamaran30, by density. In a preferred embodiment of the inventive concept, to effectively collect the disused plastic particles20by density, the collector60may be disposed in multiplicity along water depths and move ranges, enabling the disused plastic particles20to be caught many times at corresponding locations (FIG. 3).

FIG. 4schematically illustrates a configuration of the catamaran30, in which the triboelectrostatic classifier70is installed, andFIG. 5illustrates an operation mechanism in which disused plastic particles20are classified by differences of charged electrodes while the plastic particles20are passing through the triboelectrostatic classifier70.

The triboelectrostatic classifier70may be installed in the inside or outside of the catamaran30. As noticed,FIG. 4shows that the triboelectrostatic classifier70is installed in the hull of the catamaran30. The triboelectrostatic classifier70may be driven with a conveyor belt71which is installed along the hull of the catamaran30that is extending lengthwise. In the triboelectrostatic classifier70, the disused plastic particles20gathered by the collector60are transferred with friction through the conveyor belt71which is trembling, and thereby charged with different electrodes each other. Due to the differences of the charged electrodes, the plastic particles20may be classified once again. Hereinafter, the operation of the triboelectrostatic classifier70will be more detailed with reference toFIGS. 4 and 5.

Referring toFIG. 4, the disused plastic particles20gathered in density types of ρA, ρB, and ρC by the collected densities are entered into the triboelectrostatic classifier70. The disused plastic particles20entered into the triboelectrostatic classifier70are transferred through the conveyor belt71which is trembling. Referring toFIG. 5, while being transferred on the trembling conveyor belt71, the disused plastic particles20, e.g. particles A and B, continue to rub each other. As a result, the disused plastic particles20are differentiated in polarities of charges among them if their materials are different but similar in density, i.e., differentiated in charged electrodes such as A− and B+. Then, the disused plastic particles20are divisionally crowded into the electrodes A− and B+ respective thereto by means of a charged separator72. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 5, as the polarity of the charged separator72is positive (+), negative-polarized members of the disused plastic particles20are crowded around near to the charged separator72(by electrical attraction) while positive-polarized members of the disused plastic particles20are crowded far from the charged separator72(by electrical repulsion). If the charged separator72is set to be in negative polarity (−), the disused plastic particles20may be enforced to be in the reverse state. In this way, the disused plastic particles20are first classified by differences of densities through the density-based classifier50and then more finely classified again by differences of electrodes through the triboelectrostatic classifier70.

On the other hand, in a preferred embodiment, the equipment may further include a washer80which removes salt from the disused plastic particles20by washing and then dries them up before the particles20are entered into the triboelectrostatic classifier70(FIG. 4). This is because the disused plastic particles20need to be excluded from salt and dried up for the subsequent charging effect by friction in the triboelectrostatic classifier70. The washer80may be installed within or out of the hull of the catamaran30.

Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, the equipment may further include a pellet former (not shown) for recycling or abandoning the disused plastic particles20, which have been finally classified, in kinds. The pellet former may be installed within or out of the hull of the catamaran30. The disused plastic particles20are made into pallets by the pellet former, and then the pellets are loaded in the catamaran30and transported to a land facility for the next treatment.

Summarily, after sequential processes on the sea, i.e. after completing the procedure of collecting the marine debris10, classifying the disused plastic particles20which are crushed, and finally forming the disused plastic particles20into pallets which are easy in transportation, the pellets as resultant matters are transported to a land facility. According to embodiments of the inventive concept, it is possible to efficiently gather and classify the marine debris10in lower energy consumption, and further reduce a cost for collecting the marine debris10and transporting them to a land facility for recycling or abandoning. Therefore, the problems of garbage patches becoming worse along time can be effectively resolved to prevent contamination of marine environments and disturbance of ecosystems.

Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, the equipment may further include a stern retriever90for recollecting the disused plastic remainder21which has not been yet caught by the collector60(FIG. 6). The stern retriever90is a kind of net-type collection device which is installed on the hull surface at the bottom stern of the catamaran30.FIG. 6schematically illustrates a configuration of the catamaran30in which the stern retriever90is installed. The stern retriever90may function to collect the disused plastic remainder21, which has not been yet caught by the collector60ahead thereof, last. Therefore, the disused plastic remainder21is prevented from re-drifting to the sea to cause contamination of marine environments, or from being taken into marine creatures to cause disturbance of ecosystems.

In the meantime, the inventive concept may provide a method operable in such a low energy consuming garbage patch gathering and classifying equipment using the catamaran. This method of gathering and classifying marine garbage patch will be now described in steps of operations according to embodiments of the inventive concept. In the following explanation, the components identical to the aforementioned will not be further described.

First step: the catamaran30induces the marine debris10to flow into the bow while mooring or moving on a current through which a garbage patch is drifting.

Second step: the bow crusher40collects and smashes the marine debris10which is approaching toward the bow of the catamaran30.

Third step: the density-based classifier50enables the disused plastic particles20, which have been smashed by the bow crusher40, to be naturally classified by differentiating in water depth and move range depending on densities while drifting through a current in the tunnel between hulls of the catamaran30.

Fourth step: the collector60gathers the disused plastic particles20, which are classified differently in water depth and move range by density while passing through the density-based classifier50, in accordance with respective types of densities. During this, to effectively collect the disused plastic particles20by density, the collector60may be disposed in multiplicity along water depths and move ranges, enabling the disused plastic particles20to be caught many times at corresponding locations.

Fifth step: the triboelectrostatic classifier70enables the disused plastic particles20, which have been gathered by the collector60, to be charged in different electrodes while being transferred with friction through the conveyor belt71and to be classified in differences of the charged electrodes. During this, the washer80removes salt from the disused plastic particles20and then dries the disused plastic particles20up before the disused plastic particles20are entered into the triboelectrostatic classifier70.

Sixth step: the pellet former transforms the disused plastic particles20, which have been finally classified by the triboelectrostatic classifier70, into pellets for recycling or abandoning then by kinds.

Seventh step: the stern retriever90recollects the disused plastic remainder21which has not been yet caught by the collector60.

According to the embodiments of the inventive concept, it may be possible to efficiently gather and classify marine garbage in lower energy, and reduce a cost of transporting the gathered garbage to land facilities for recycling or abandoning them. Therefore, it may result in effective solution about the garbage patch problems that is becoming worse along time, hence preventing contamination of marine environments and disturbance of ecosystems.

The foregoing is illustrative of exemplary embodiments and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims.