3 ms·
> How much energy does a Bubble Barrier use? > The Bubble Barrier uses compressed air to create the bubble curtain. Depending on the scale and length of the Bu
by luckylion 6y ago
> How much energy does a Bubble Barrier use?
> The Bubble Barrier uses compressed air to create the bubble curtain. Depending on the scale and length of the Bubble Barrier, this is done by means of a compressor. The length of the Bubble Barrier has a significant influence on the necessary energy usage. Our Bubble Barrier uses much less energy than bubble curtains that are used to separate fresh from salt water or to prevent oil spills.
Based on them explicitly not wanting to give any numbers and comparing it to much larger and more difficult operations, I'm guessing this is the main issue. It may well work, but costs a lot of energy. Doing that in NW Europe feels like spending a lot to achieve a little, because plastic going into the ocean is a) not primarily from rivers and b) among that which is delivered via rivers, it's not primarily from rivers in Europe.
- giarc 6y agoThere are a lot of companies developing river turbines that possible could complement this well. I have no idea if they produce the right amount of power though.
- luckylion 6y agoGood point, though you probably need a strong flow for turbines, which will be an issue for the bubble barrier. And for large rivers that are also deep (i.e. any river that is used for larger scale shipping), the infrastructure seems extreme. It's one thing to handle a 10m wide canal that's 2m deep, it's quite another to install that system on a river that's 800m across and 10m deep. I believe we'll quickly reach a level where it's not economical to do put a lot of energy into it to catch what little waste there is. On the other hand, maybe there are positive side effects, more oxygen in the water?