Design and Alpha Test of In-water Collection and Removal of Floating Debris System

D&D Products Inc. will design and develop an in-situ floating debris capture device. The device will be located at the edge of a stream, canal or similar waterbody. Floating booms will be attached to the device, and the waterway current will guide debris along the booms into the gathering head. The gathering head will direct debris into the hopper and feed it onto a conveying mechanism. The conveying mechanism will transfer the debris up and discharge it into a shore-based dumpster. The primary intention of the design is to reduce the number of material handling steps as compared to other methods of trash removal. The innovation of the design is shown in the following ways. Debris is removed from the water and immediately deposited on land, with no need to re-handle the trash, or risk introducing it back into the water. The device has a new gathering mechanism which is also unique. The machine requires no manpower and is simple to operate and maintain. The device is modular and can be adjusted to suit most environments. The functions of the machine are electric, and solar power can be used to meet its power needs. Current technologies are either larger scale or smaller scale. This device meets the requirements for a medium-scale device. The target market is flowing rivers, canals or streams near municipalities that have a need to capture floating debris. The machine is intended to be moderately priced and affordable for most municipalities. The new machine is an iteration of current Aquarius Systems mobile trash skimming equipment designed and manufactured by D&D Products Inc. There is low risk to the project, and developing the machine is a great opportunity for our company to innovate and design a necessary piece of equipment to help clean our nations waterways.