Introduction

The large Pacific garbage patch or Pacific Trash Vortex is a collection of rotating marine debris stuck in the ocean. Marine debris, are organic and inorganic wastes that are attracted by sea currents and end up in the oceans, seas and other marine bodies, representing an imminent negative impact on the flora and fauna of aquatic ecosystems.

This giant patch encompasses waters from the west coast of North America to Japan and is joined by the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone. To illustrate more clearly the dimensions of this patch, it is so large that its surface is equivalent to almost 80% of the Mexican territory or in other words, almost 3 times the size of France.

We have focused on solving that world-class problem and created dabch patch, a project that seeks to clean our marine ecosystems, especially the oceans by using a cleaning machine that seeks to revolutionize the way in which the oceans are treated, clean them as never before and generate a positive change not only in seas but in society. Therefore, this machine is a sustainable machine, driven by clean energy such as solar energy, thanks to its design, it is a non-aggressive machine with the ecosystem, so it ensures positive results in all areas.

We are fully committed to improving the circumstances of our oceans, which is why we present our strategies to make it happen.

Justification

We have decided to choose this challenge because we are aware of the environmental crisis that the entire world is going through. We act at the the emergency call that nature makes to us, at the start of the countdown until 2030 where, according to research, resources would end and therefore the end of a full future for humanity on this planet. We have created the project because we have faith that we can innovate in the maritime cleaning practices used today, this includes the application of sustainable energies, the use of tools and devices that do not threaten the flora and fauna of ecosystems, so can also have faith in a tomorrow.

Developing

What does the patch in our oceans represent?

The amount of debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch accumulates because much of it is not biodegradable. Plastics represent the majority of marine debris due to their durability, low cost and malleability (consumerism) and thanks to the fact that plastic products do not biodegrade but break down into smaller pieces. As plastics break down through photodegradation, they release dyes and chemicals that have been linked to environmental and health problems.

In their entirety, these patches are composed of small pieces of plastic, called microplastics. Microplastics are small pieces of degraded plastic through photo degradation (from bags, bottles, lids, etc.), which means that they cannot always be seen with the naked eye.

Even satellite images do not show a giant garbage patch. The microplastics of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch can simply make the water look of a different color and with little clarity.

About 54% percent of the Great Patch debris comes from areas such as North America and Asia, the remaining 20% comes from accidents involving navigators, oil rigs and cargo ships.

The amount of waste affects marine food webs. By accumulating microplastics and other garbage on the surface, these prevent sunlight from reaching organisms such as plankton and algae, which are the most common producers of the marine food web, generating a decrease in the amount of food for animals They feed on algae and plankton. Likewise, species often confuse garbage with their different types of food or in other way, are often stuck between the networks and other types of waste that consequently cause the death of the species due to drowning, inability to digest waste, hunger or broken organs.

The solution

To solve this problem, we need an alternative that avoids contaminating the marine ecosystem, that is powerful, capable of withstanding large amounts of garbage and manages to travel long distances in a sustainable way and of course that does not represent a danger to the spices that inhabit those ecosystems That is why we present today our first prototype ocean cleaner.

Our prototype consists of a stainless-steel base, which can also be exchanged for galvanized steel, this to prevent corrosion of it.

This consists of a perforation along the hull, which allows us to collect the garbage that is floating on the water in the front of the boat; To prevent this drilling from interrupting its progress when the water breaks, we create a tip, which facilitates the advance of the water.

The garbage that enters through the opening is stopped by a grid while our distance sensor is working, which will indicate when the garbage reaches the enough level to carry out the compression. This will be done with a platform, rising to the surface of the boot, where two pistons will compress the plastic that decreases its volume in order to increase the amount of plastic that can be stored.

The vast majority of our system would be powered by clean energy.

Phase1

Within this early stage in the execution of the project, our main objective will be to carry out a thorough inspection of the different electromechanical mechanisms that the prototype has. This operation is intended to verify that all the processes that must be carried out work optimally for the moment of its execution and thus avoid any mishap or unfortunate event.

It is necessary to mention that these tests will be performed in an ideal environment for the analysis of the prototype for which it is convenient to carry them out of the water in a specialized laboratory. Among the main mechanisms that will be tested will be the pistons used to compact the collected garbage, it is also vital to check the correct functioning of the sensors included in the prototype since they are responsible for determining the specific amounts of plastics to be compacted when the prototype begins its operation.

Phase 2

Once we carry out the tests relevant to our prototype and we have ascertained that its operation is optimal we will proceed to test it in a nearby aquatic body and within a limited surface.

This will be a fundamental test since we will be able to observe the operation of the prototype in its true work environment, but without facing challenges as big as the garbage patches are. For this stage we looked for beaches that were located relatively close and that also presented an alarming level of pollution and we found the Gulf of Santa Clara Machorro Beach, in Sonora and some Mazatlan beaches in Sinaloa.

The importance of this phase lies in the evaluation of the performance of our prototype at the time of collecting the garbage, it is here that we will determine if the prototype is prepared for greater challenges or if it is necessary to make modifications and / or improvements to its design.

Phase 3

Once the tests have been completed in areas with less pollution, our prototype would be ready to be used in the large Pacific patch. Locating our objective of action in the northern area of the Pacific subtropical high, which is located right next to the United States and Mexico.

As a goal we want to clean 1 ton per trip, therefore, it would take more than one unit to clean this area in less time. Despite being too little if we considerate the large amount of plastic that exists in this patch, we trust that with perseverance and environmental education, we will reduce the amount of waste that arrives daily to this patch, thus speeding up its cleanliness.

Phase 4

Once our prototype has shown its effectiveness in the collection of waste in the oceans, with a view to a more ambitious project, the investigation of the use of jellyfish mucosa or substitutes in our prototype would begin, for effective cleaning of micro plastics.

The investigations would be carried out with jellyfish species considered a pest in different seas of the planet, with the purpose of not damaging the stability of marine ecosystems. Similarly, chemical alternatives for the replacement of the jellyfish mucosa would be investigated to avoid damaging the integrity of the species in any way.

As a result, the possibility of expanding the horizons of action of our prototype would be viable, without limiting ourselves only to the patches, but also attending areas mostly affected by micro plastics.