Design Summary and Analysis Final Draft

According to the article “Seabin using plastic to fight plastics” (2019), The Seabin Project highlights the consequences of microplastics (2-5mm) in the ecosystem. It also discusses the benefits of the Seabin as a holistic solution to the pollutants in the sea. The article mentions that many sea-creatures ingest microplastics as it resembles their food source with its size and appearance. Microplastics also gather organic wastes at an accelerated rate compared to other inorganic particles which have acute detrimental effects on the marine environment. As a countermeasure, Seabin functions by ingesting water within its vicinity and traps any detritus through its filtration system. By integrating sensors into the Seabin, it can double up as a monitoring device, allowing the Seabin Project to conduct comprehensive studies on its effectiveness and potential improvements. Because of the accessibility, simplicity and dynamic functions of the Seabin, it is a favorable method of marine pollution countermeasures used by governments all around the world. Despite some of its limitations, Seabin stands out in its efforts to reduce water pollution, mainly due to its sustainability in its production and operations, as well as keeping its efficiency on par with other sea cleaning products, specifically the Interceptor (The Ocean Cleanup, n.d.), in fulfilling its purpose.

Despite its limitations, Seabin stands out from other sea cleaning products for its ability to catch microplastics as small as two millimeters in size that enhances its efficiency. Due to the design of the Seabin, they are unable to collect mass amounts of debris at each point of time. The Seabin Overview Book (2017) states that the catch bag can hold up to a maximum mass of 20 kilograms of waste at each point of time and the approximate amount that Seabin can capture a day is one and a half kilograms. Despite the efforts of redesigning and enlarging its capacity, it will require many Seabins to collect an equivalent amount of plastic compared to other products such as The Interceptor from The Ocean Cleanup project, “50,000 kilograms” (The Ocean Cleanup, n.d.) of plastic to be exact. However, the Seabin is capable of capturing microplastics down to the size of two millimeters with the purpose of reducing “the risk to animals by being mistaken for food”, “eventually reaching our plates” (Seabin Project, 2019). In addition to its edge, the Seabin is also efficient as it “runs 24/7” (Seabin Project, 2019) just like its counterparts, the Interceptor (The Ocean Cleanup, n.d.), making it on par in the capability of collecting debris at any time of the day. Therefore, they have made up for their disadvantage by being efficient in filtering microplastics and operating round-the-clock.

Another advantage that Seabin possesses is its sustainability. Although the Seabin can function by itself, there is still a need for minimal manpower to maintain Seabin’s operations. According to the Seabin Overview Book (2017), to maintain a Seabin, it has been advised that they should be “checked twice a day and emptied as needed” (Seabin Overview Book, 2017). There is also a need for a Seabin to be cleaned and checked monthly to keep it operational and if any of the catch bags are found to be damaged, it can be replaced instantly just like normal trash bins on land (Seabin Overview Book, 2017). After the damaged catch bags are being replaced, they can be recycled into new catch bags, making it an ecosystem on its own. In comparison, the Interceptor (The Ocean Cleanup, n.d.) would demand more manpower as they require “multiple barge exchanges per day” (Interceptor-Spec-Sheet, 2019). Additionally, The Seabin V5 (2020) website mentioned that a Seabin is mostly made from recycled ocean wastes and the running cost of it is only up to three dollars a day. Therefore, making the Seabin a sustainable solution to marine pollution.

In conclusion, there are several exclusive features for both the Interceptor and the Seabin. However, the Seabin has additional advantages over one of its recognized counterparts, the Interceptor (The Ocean Cleanup, n.d.). The Seabin edges over the Interceptor (The Ocean Cleanup, n.d.) by having the ability to filter microplastics and being a sustainable product with an ecosystem in place, which is absent in the Interceptor (The Ocean Cleanup, n.d.). Therefore, in my opinion, Seabin makes a superior solution to marine pollution.

References

Seabin. (2020). The Seabin V5- The Seabin Project – For Cleaner Oceans. Retrieved on February 17, 2020 from https://seabinproject.com/the-seabin-v5/

Seabin Project. (2019). Seabin using plastic to fight plastics. Retrieved on February 17, 2020 from https://seabinproject.com/seabin-using-plastic-to-fight-plastics/

Seabin Overview Book. (2017). Retrieved on February 17, 2020 from https://seabinproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/seabin_overview_book.pdf

The Ocean Cleanup (n.d.). Rivers. Retrieved on February 17, 2020 from https://theoceancleanup.com/rivers/

The Ocean Cleanup, Interceptor. (October 26^th 2019). Interceptor-Spec-Sheet. Retrieved on February 17, 2020 from https://assets.theoceancleanup.com/app/uploads/2019/10/191021_Interceptor-Spec-Sheet.pdf