The Great Bubble Barrier

Combating waste by air

The pollution of our oceans is a huge problem. The Great Bubble Barrier attempts to tackle part of that problem with a solution that is as clever as it is simple.

It involves a tube with holes that lies on the bottom of the water and produces a curtain of air bubbles. These bubbles bring plastic waste to the surface of the water without disturbing daily boat traffic or fish. The design can be used in rivers and canals all over the world to help fight plastic soup.

The design is also used to simultaneously carry out research into water pollution, to recycle the waste and to confront the wider public with the problem.