AMSTERDAM — Dutch-based startup "The Great Bubble Barrier" says that air bubbles could stop plastic waste in rivers from reaching the ocean.<br /><br />The company says its program features a pipe and air compressor that generate bubbles and a trap system that gathers plastics on the canal of Amsterdam's Westerdok.<br /><br />New Atlas reports that a previous trial collected 86 percent of riverbourne plastic trash.<br /><br />The company states that the barrier's diagonal placement uses the water flow to guide the plastic waste to the catchment system on the riverside for collection.<br /><br />The pipe supplements the garbage collection boats that also clean 42 tonnes of plastic trash from the canal each year.<br /><br />While boats could not gather submerged plastic objects, the bubble barrier generates upward flow that brings the plastics to the catchment system on the surface.<br /><br />The company also claims that the bubble barrier pumps oxygen into the river, which prevents algae blooms and bolsters the aquatic ecosystem.
