Floating Seawer Skyscraper Rids The World’s Oceans Of Plastic While Generating Clean Energy
on 15 April, 2014 at 12:53
Seawer is a self-supported hydroelectric power station that can
generate electricity using seawater at the same time that it cleans up
plastic waste. The huge structure separates plastic particles and
fluids, recycles seawater and releases it back into the ocean.
The structure receives energy from the sun, ocean and plastics and
moves slowly from one polluted area to the next. The project received an
honorable mention in the 2014 eVolo Skyscraper Competition.
Millions of tons of trash enter the ocean each year and cluster in
particular areas of the world’s oceans. One of the most infamous plastic
debris patches is located in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre,
commonly referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP).
This piece of “plastic soup” is twice the size of Texas and contains
six times more plastic than plankton biomass. Seawer skyscraper was
designed to tackle this issue while generating electricity at the same
time.
South Korean designer Sung Jin Cho submitted the Seawer Skyscraper
project as his proposal for this year’s eVolo Skyscraper Competition.
The project includes a huge drainage hole 550 meters in diameter and 300
meters in depth that would be located at the heart of the GPGP. The
structure consists of five layers of baleen filters that separate
plastic particles and fluids. The particles are taken to an onboard recycling plant while
purified seawater is stored in a large sedimentation tank at the bottom
of the structure before it is released back into the ocean.
Credits: Written by Lidija Grozdanic of www.inhabitat.com
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