The debris and plastic collection device consist of two chambers made of laminated aluminum. Each chamber is fitted with a movable flap of bakelite at the proximal end and a double-layer collection pouch of nylon net at the distal end. The bakelite flap moved inward during the flow of water in the chamber however, a reverse movement is checked by fixing a stopper on the lower arm of the frame. This facilitated the opening of the chamber during a unidirectional flow of water during high and low tide conditions. The collection pouch had chambers made of two layers of nylon mesh of 5mm and 0.5 mm, respectively. The inner chamber (5mm pore size) collected the debris and plastic of 5mm and above. However, the outer chamber collected the plastic and debris of 0.5mm or less. The collection pouches are attached to the main frame of the chamber and can be removed after they are filled with debris and plastics. The aluminum device has a mouth opening (260cm×65cm) fitted with two flaps of size (125 X60 cm) to prevent the escape of plastic debris during the reverse flow of water. These flaps act like a door during water ingress into the unit. The thickness of the bakelite flap is 3mm thickness for smooth movement during tides. The sides of the bakelite flaps are covered with an aluminum layer. The main purpose of the aluminum device is the collection of marine debris and macroplastics (size more than 5 mm) from the landward side during low tide and the seaward side during high tide. The installation, collection, and quantification can be performed with the least manpower as only two persons are required for the entire operation. The nylon net pouches of 50.0mm and 5.0 mm are reusable after the collection as only washing under running water for half an hour is required for opening the clogged pores of the net. The catchment area of the device can be increased by attaching side arms of nylon nets. The lamination of the aluminum frame showed no leaching of the metal after coming in contact with water as confirmed by ICP-MS. Therefore, the contamination of water from aluminum is a ruled-out possibility.
Read More: https://www.cife.edu.in/ITMU/tech-pdf/4.DOUBLE%20COMPARTMENT%20DEVICE.pdf
