The Great Bubble Barrier
De Grote Bellenbarrière | |
| Abbreviation | TGBB |
|---|---|
| Formation | Early 2017 |
| Founded at | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Legal status | Social enterprise |
Official language | Dutch |
Staff | 10 |
Volunteers | 3 |
| Website | https://thegreatbubblebarrier.com |
The Great Bubble Barrier is a social enterprise based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, aiming to intercept plastic pollution in waterways before it reaches the ocean.[1][2][3][4] It was founded by Francis Zoet, Saskia Studer, and Anne Marieke Eveleens, joining with Philip Ehrhorn shortly afterwards.[4]
History[edit]
The Great Bubble Barrier was founded by Francis Zoet, Saskia Studer, and Anne Marieke Eveleens, joining with Philip Ehrhorn shortly afterwards its inception. The first proof of concept was conducted in Berlin with a bubble barrier of a length of 10 metres (33 ft). The Bubble Barrier was then tested in the water laboratory of Deltares. During the first pilot in November 2017, a bubble barrier of 180 metres (590 ft) in the river IJssel showed that it was capable of catching 86% of the test material. After this pilot, The Great Bubble Barrier joined a research project to assess the impact of the Bubble Barrier on microplastics with a size of 0.02 millimetres (0.00079 in) to 0.5 millimetres (0.020 in) in Wervershoof. The first long-term Bubble Barrier was placed in November 2019 in Amsterdam.[5]
System[edit]
A bubble screen is created by pumping air through a perforated tube, which is located on the bottom of the waterway. The Bubble Barrier creates an upwards thrust, which brings waste to the surface of the water. Due to its diagonal placement in the waterway, the Bubble Barrier uses the natural current to guide the plastic to a catchment system at the riverside.[3][5]
Environmental impacts[edit]
The Bubble Barrier is designed to minimise negative environmental impacts. Fish and ships are able to pass the barrier unharmed.[3][5] As the barrier employs oxygen, the marine ecosystem benefits and the growth of toxic blue algae is prevented.
Publicity[edit]
Partners[edit]
The Great Bubble Barrier are partnered with:[5]
- Rijkswaterstaat
- PWN
- Deltares
- Deep Matters
- Climate-KIC
- CanadianPond
- Van den Herik
- Stop Micro Waste
- Schmidt Marine
Media[edit]
The Great Bubble Barrier has appeared in several international media and has been highlighted as an innovative product by:[5]
- The Guardian
- National Geographic
- Forbes
- World Economic Forum
- Associated Press
- El País
- TV France
- Tagesschau
- Xinhua
- RTL
- NOS
- De Volkskrant.
References[edit]
- ↑ "'Bubble Barrier' Traps Plastic Waste In Water To Stop It Reaching The Sea". Plant Based News. 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
- ↑ "The Great Bubble Barrier". We Make Change. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 City, Amsterdam Smart. "The Great Bubble Barrier". Amsterdam Smart City. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Boztas, Senay (2019-11-07). "Air bubble barrier traps plastic waste in Amsterdam's canals". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "The-Great-Bubble-Barrier-one-pager-EN.pdf" (PDF). Unknown parameter
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