With the desire to protect the surface water environments, a group of students from the University of Science and Education - the University of Da Nang have successfully researched and invented a waste collection device on beaches and water surfaces.

Lecturer Tran Ngoc Son (2nd, left) and his students putting the equipment into operation at the Tho Quang Fishing Port.

Under the guidance of lecturer Tran Ngoc Son, the group of students, comprising Pham Thi Phuong, Do Dang Hieu, Trinh Van Huy, Nguyen Ho Quoc Bao and Phan Van Da, have developed and automatic floating waste collection device.

Master degree’s holder Tran Ngoc Son said that plastic waste pollution is a "hot" problem not only in Viet Nam but also in the world. After each heavy rain or flood, a large amount of waste is washed away by water, especially plastic waste.

The group of students have developed the project entirely based on practical experience and specialized knowledge, not based on any research or products available on the market.

They came up with the idea after realizing challenges in collecting floating waste in ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, coastlines, or at fishing ports because of many types of waste such as water hyacinth, firewood, plastic bags, and animal carcasses; limited human resources; and manual equipment.

Student Pham Thi Phuong shared that through field trips, especially after storms, she realised that there was too much floating waste on the sea and rivers, causing harmful effects on the environment, and affecting sea tourism activities. Therefore, the invention of the "Automatic Floating Waste Collection Device" can solve the problem.

"The device is designed to be completely automatic. When full of waste, it will automatically turn off and stop collecting. The capacity of the collection pit is about 4kg of waste. Depending on the level of garbage in the water bodies, the device can operate many times a day" Phuong added.

In particular, the device is designed to collect all types of floating waste, from plastic, wood to organic waste. It is designed to be completely closed, including a collection pit, and a motor placed underneath to create suction force for water into the collection pit, pulling in the waste.

Inside the device is a trash basket. After sucking in water and garbage, the garbage will accumulate in the basket and the water will return to the environment. The machine can be placed in such places as rivers, lakes, fishing ports and beaches, with a capacity of 15 cubic meters of water/hour. This product is easy to operate with low production cost and high superiority.

Currently, the device is developed with many different versions to suit the characteristics of different types of water bodies, including fresh water, brackish water or sea areas.

Moreover, with the guidance and technical support of the lecturer, the group will perfect their product by supplementing the function of filtering and cleaning surface water in the collection areas. In particular, the submersible pump will have the capacity of 15,000 liters of water in one hour.

Additionally, the group plans to design an additional tank to filter and separate oil and dirt after the water is pumped through the garbage pit. Thus, the device not only helps collect garbage but also cleans the water bodies, student Nguyen Ho Quang Bao emphasised.

Do Dang Hieu shared "The group spent time researching and consulting many opinions of professional instructors on different structures and equipment because it is a water vehicle, so it is necessary to carefully calculate all stages. But the most important thing that determines success is the love of nature, the love of the marine environment of each member of the group, along with the accumulated knowledge to start forming ideas and realizing them".

The representative of the research group said that, according to the United Nations report, Viet Nam is one of the largest producers of plastic waste in the world. Manual waste collection is not very effective, time-consuming and dangerous for workers.

The use of water sources mixed with waste will affect daily life; cause loss of aesthetic landscapes on beaches, rivers and lakes; and pose risk of disease outbreaks for people. Therefore, creating a means of collecting waste effectively, with high safety and ease of operation at a reasonable price is extremely necessary.

Currently, there are many waste collection machines in the world that have good processing capabilities, but the prices are very expensive. Meanwhile, the automatic floating waste collection device boasts many practical meanings. It will significantly contribute to improving the quality of the surface water environments, thereby ensuring the living and entertainment needs of people, especially in those in Da Nang - a tourist city.

Reporting by MINH TRANG - Translating by M.DUNG