Microplastic cleaning, collection, and autonomous filtration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021179443-A1
Application number	US-201916700332-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 11, 2019
Priority date	Dec 11, 2019
Publication date	Jun 17, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus, a method, and a computer program product for cleaning and collecting microplastics and modelling workflow for microplastic autonomous filtration. The apparatus may include a cleaning chamber through which water containing the microplastics flows. The apparatus may also include a transducer configured to generate microbubbles of a size that causes the microbubbles to clean microplastics flowing through the cleaning chamber. The apparatus may also include a filter chamber located above the cleaning chamber, where the filter chamber includes a microplastic collection device operable to collect the microplastics.

First claim

1 . An apparatus for cleaning and collecting microplastics in an aquatic environment, the apparatus comprising:
a cleaning chamber through which water containing the microplastics flows; a transducer configured to generate microbubbles of a size that causes the microbubbles to clean microplastics flowing through the cleaning chamber; and a filter chamber located above the cleaning chamber, wherein the filter chamber comprises a microplastic collection device operable to collect the microplastics.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transducer is an ultrasonic transducer.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning chamber is configured to allow unfiltered egress of water and marine organisms, wherein the filter chamber is configured to collect cleaned buoyant microplastics, and wherein the filter chamber comprises a filter to allow egress of water whilst containing the cleaned buoyant microplastics.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is affixed to a dock configured to float on a surface of the aquatic environment.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is located in a self-propelled submersible dock, and wherein the apparatus is configured to allow water to flow from the aquatic environment through the cleaning chamber as the self-propelled submersible dock moves through the aquatic environment.

6 . A method of cleaning and collecting microplastics in an aquatic environment, comprising:
passing water containing the microplastics from the aquatic environment through a cleaning chamber; generating, using a transducer, microbubbles in the cleaning chamber; and collecting microplastics that have been cleaned by the microbubbles from an upper portion of the cleaning chamber using a microplastic collection device.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the transducer is an ultrasonic transducer.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the cleaning chamber is configured to allow unfiltered egress of water and marine organisms, wherein a filter chamber is configured to collect cleaned buoyant microplastics, and wherein the filter chamber comprises a filter to allow egress of water whilst containing the cleaned buoyant microplastics.

9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the cleaning chamber, the transducer, and the microplastic collection device are part of an apparatus, and wherein the apparatus is affixed to a dock configured to float on a surface of the aquatic environment.

10 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the cleaning chamber, the transducer, and the microplastic collection device are part of an apparatus, and wherein the apparatus is located in a self-propelled submersible dock, the apparatus configured to allow water to flow from the aquatic environment through the cleaning chamber as the self-propelled submersible dock moves through the aquatic environment.

11 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
receiving external data and simulation results at a central controller; receiving data on local environment conditions and actual microplastic concentration from a plurality of remote devices; collecting local environment conditions and actual microplastic concentrations on at least one of the remote devices; retraining a local model of likely locations and concentrations of microplastics using the local environment conditions and the actual microplastic concentrations; and applying the retrained model.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the central controller determines where to operate based on the local model.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the local model is based upon universal Kriging.

14 . A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a server to cause the server to perform a method, the method comprising:
receiving external data and simulation results at a central controller; receiving data on local environment conditions and actual microplastic concentration from a plurality of remote devices; generating microbubbles in a cleaning chamber; collecting local environment conditions and actual microplastic concentrations on at least one of the remote devices; retraining a local model of likely locations and concentrations of microplastics using the local environment conditions and the actual microplastic concentrations; and applying the retrained model.

15 . The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the central controller determines where to operate based on the local model.

16 . The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the local model is based upon universal Kriging.

17 . The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the cleaning chamber is configured to allow unfiltered egress of water and marine organisms, wherein a filter chamber is configured to collect cleaned buoyant microplastics, and wherein the filter chamber comprises a filter to allow egress of water whilst containing the cleaned buoyant microplastics.

18 . The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the remote devices comprise a transducer and a microplastic collection device.

19 . The computer program product of claim 18 , wherein the cleaning chamber, the transducer, and the microplastic collection device are part of an apparatus, and wherein the apparatus is affixed to a dock configured to float on a surface of an aquatic environment.

20 . The computer program product of claim 18 , wherein the cleaning chamber, the transducer, and the microplastic collection device are part of an apparatus, and wherein the apparatus is located in a self-propelled submersible dock, the apparatus configured to allow water to flow from an aquatic environment through the cleaning chamber as the self-propelled submersible dock moves through the aquatic environment.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Mcdonagh James
• Zimon Malgorzata Jadwiga
• O'Conchuir Breanndan
• Sawko Robert

Classifications

• B08B3/12

  by sonic or ultrasonic vibrations · CPC title

• B63B35/32 Primary

  for collecting pollution from open water · CPC title

• E02B15/10

  Devices for removing the material from the surface {(E02B15/041, E02B15/042, E02B15/06 take precedence)} · CPC title

• G05B13/0265

  the criterion being a learning criterion · CPC title

• C02F2209/005

  Processes using a programmable logic controller [PLC] · CPC title