The Great Bubble Barrier

Remediation Strategy

Collection

Plastic Type

Both (microplastics and macroplastics)

Invention Category

Air Barriers

Used?

Yes

Included in analysis?

Yes

Location Invented

Netherlands

Year^*

2019

Description

Tubes placed diagonally across the bottom of the waterway create a bubble barrier by pumping air, creating a current that brings debris to the surface and guides it to a catchment system.

Effectiveness or Ecological Impact

Non-peer-reviewed Effectiveness

It captures approximately 70-80% of top-surface floating plastic and 50% of plastic underwater. The Bubble Barrier caught 86% of the floating test material (The Great Bubble Barrier FAQ, 2016).

References

Bubble Barrier. (n.d.). The Great Bubble Barrier®. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://thegreatbubblebarrier.com/technology/; Bubble barrier catches micro-plastics from effluent sewage treatment. (n.d.). Dutch Water Sector. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://www.dutchwatersector.com/news/bubble-barrier-catches-micro-plastics-from-effluent-sewage-treatment; Thomson, A. (2019, February 7). Turning the tide on plastic pollution: 5 green innovators you should check out in 2019. The Sociable. https://sociable.co/technology/turning-the-tide-on-plastic-pollution-5-green-innovators-you-should-check-out-in-2019/

Non-peer-reviewed Effectiveness

The Great Bubble Barrier FAQ. (2016). The Great Bubble Barrier®. https://thegreatbubblebarrier.com/faq/

* Year designates the year invented; if the year invented was unavailable, the earliest year that an article about the technology was published was used.