Another "Solar Roadways"? "19-Year-Old Figured Out How To Clean Up The Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch"

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

This video is all over the web.

George Takei is pushing it on Facebook. And, of course, it’s raising money through crowdfunding.

I’m skeptical. The idea is pretty straighforward, but I question the 10 year timeline, whether or not it’s cost effective, and whether the environmental impact would be as bad or worse than that of the plastic.

2

I can’t view videos at work; is that the solution that involves cordoning off the ocean with an array of floating skim buoys?

3

Yes, that’s it. It’s not like using floating booms to skim trash off the surface is some revolutionary idea.

4

If the trash is gathering in one particular spot in the middle of nowhere, I can think of a short-term solution, although it’s not going to be popular; detonate a nuclear explosion right in the middle of it. Are the risks (e.g. contaminating the surviving sealife in the immediate area) worth the costs?

For that matter, how long did it take the existing pile to get that way? You’re not fixing the cut, but replacing the bandages.

5

Are we witnessing the Upworthification of science reporting here?

It’s not a small area. It’s a large area with a higher-than-normal concentration of tiny plastic particles near the surface of the ocean. So this sounds like it belongs in a pile with all of the anti-global warming geoengineering schemes you hear these days.

6

There are issues with his idea.

7

how long before such a containment would break and have free floating garbage again? the ocean is strong enough to break apart ships and will render this into floating junk.

8

The problems Stiv Wilson points out in the link Mr. Miskatonic posted are pretty straight forward:

  • the ocean is sooooooooo much bigger than anything anyone can deal with
  • gyre-cleanup proponents have pretty much never been to one of the gyres and don’t have a realistic grasp of what they’re talking about
  • the ocean is sooooooooo much more destructive than anyone can deal with, and there is no engineering out there than can come up with the kind of skim float/solar power/capture tank stations with a chance of lasting past the first storm with 30’ waves and/or months under
  • the plastic debris is completely mixed types - PE, PP, and others - which cannot be recycled together, and the only way to tell them apart is a mass spectrometer
  • the plastic debris is encrusted with stuff that will much up any recycling process
  • the plastic debris is so degraded, it’s not worth recycling

So, really, it’s a nice thought, but it’s so far away from reality, it’s almost not worth bothering.

9

It’s amazing how much vitriol you attract on other places on the web if you try to criticize either this or the Solar Roadway stuff.

“How dare you attack someone who’s trying to make a better world!” :rolleyes:

10

My plan is for magic ponies to gather up all the plastic with rainbows, and then turn it into a cure for cancer.

So you better not DARE criticize my ideas.

11

With the right video, and if you can convince George Takei to post a link, your idea could probably rake in millions.

12

We can send some guys from county over. They’ve got time and experience.