Some final year students at the Da Nang University of Education have successfully created an automated floating device to collect trash from the water surface in the Tho Quang Fishing Wharf. The device features high efficiency, compact size, easy to use and low cost. It is designed to clean waste from water surfaces and it can operate continuously on a 24/7 basis.

Master Tran Ngoc Son (second from left) along with automated watersurface cleaning device creators and their invention at the the Tho Quang Fishing Wharf.

The main pressures on surface water bodies are pollution from waste that are environmental issues and challenges confronting fishing ports, lakes and downstream rivers in local areas and regions around the world. These issues inspired final year students namely Phan Van Da, Huynh Tan Ngoc and Trinh Van Duy who are studying the major in Natural Resources and Environment Management at the Da Nang University of Education to join hands with Master Tran Ngoc Son to create a collector to clean up surface waters in an attempt to tackle water polution and protect our environment.

“Currently, collecting garbage from surface waters is quite difficult and mainly relies on manual labour due to a lack of automatic and specialized devices. The inventor team has conducted studies on some types of automated trash collectors designed by domestic and foreign inventors. However, the import of such devices or technology transfer can be expensive. It took the team nearly a year to sucessfully design and create a cost effective system for garbage collection in water bodies’, said Master Tran Ngoc Son.

The submersible pump system generates a flow of water into the container that collects trash from waters, according to the inventors. Also, a suction system is designed to suck trash collected by the brushes into its garbage bag. The floating system is capable of balancing the attractive and repulsive forces to sucks up garbage from the water and prevent it from drifting out again.

Besides, the device can collect both large-sized wastes and microplastics by its an additional filter. By acting as a garbage filtering system, the device can also clean organic waste like leaves, seaweeds from water bodies.

The biggest challenge facing the inventor team was choosing the right materials for the low‐cost trash cleanup device.

Floating trash collection device has been sucessfully designed and created by these students. It is dynamic system and users find it easy to assembly. In addition, the device is suitable for use in water bodies in Central Viet Nam and localities in other parts of the country.

Mrs Thi Cam Van, from the Authority of the Tho Quang Fishing Wharf said that the floating trash collection device is very useful to the city as it can quickly collect waste in water bodies and clean up the fishing port and other polluted water areas. She remarked that this invention needs more support from management agencies, businesses and others so that the inventors can continue to perfect their product. This device will cost about VND15 million depending on its size and the water body where it operates.

Mr Trinh Dang Mau, the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the Da Nang University of Education said that in the coming time, the faculty will continue its efforts to support the inventors to promote their product, thereby helping them find extra funding to perfect it and bring it to market, contributing to cleaning and beautifying water bodies in the city for the sake of the community.

Reporting by HUYNH TUONG VY – Translating by H.L