Be a part of the change.
SeaBiscuit is a project developed during 2022 uOttawa Designathon hosted by uOttawa Design League. It won 2nd place in the Cleaning-the-Oceans challenge.
Create a machine or mechanism that helps capture a variety of plastics using the most sustainable and eco-friendly method.
Every day, millions of plastic wastes enter our oceans. Although many projects around the world have produced great innovations to remove plastics from the open ocean, it is actually way more efficient and eco-friendly to intercept plastics in local waters. Our team noticed that people who go boating often use a mooring system to park their vessels temporarily. During the process, they interact with the buoy and lines attached to mooring in the water. We want to utilize this existing system and integrate plastic removal into people’s hobby.
SeaBiscuit is a self-sufficient device to remove microplastics between 1 to 5 mm in diameter. It is a passive filter, operated entirely by tidal waves. It is designed to be attached to mooring systems that are already installed in the water
Every SeaBiscuit device is fitted with an unique identifier tag with a QR code and serial number. When a user goes out for boating, they can pick up an empty SeaBiscuit from a participating local marina. They “pack” the device by registering its unique identifier. Once they park the boat, they can simply clip the SeaBiscuit on the mooring line and input the unique identifier on the mooring to confirm deployment. Similarly, the user can also choose to “collect” a SeaBiscuit from the water and return it to the marina. These interactions are exchanged into “Biscuit Crumbs”, a point system for reward programs. Finally, the processing facility collects all the plastic wastes from the marina to recycle or responsibly dispose of them.
The core mechanism of the SeaBiscuit are the two uniquely designed turbines connected by a gear box. Water flows into the casing from the slots at the top and pushes the primary turbine. The gearbox translates a greater speed to the secondary turbine, which is fitted with filter structures similar to what manta rays use to feed. The bottom of the device is attached to the main mooring chain with a collar, allowing it to slide along the chain when being deployed and collected. The top is secured onto a clip on the bridge line, setting the device at an optimal position for the turbines to receive water flow. When it’s full, plastic wastes collect at the bottom and can be removed by unscrewing the cap.
According to 2019 statistics, 12.4 million adult Canadians go boating every year. There are over 100 yacht clubs registered under Ontario Sailing alone. Therefore, in the future, we hope to see SeaBiscuit being adopted in many marinas and more and more people participate in the initiative. As we scale up the project, we hope to develop better ways to reprocess the collected plastics, and work with experts to further improve its efficiency and safety. SeaBiscuit can become a great way for everyone to contribute to ocean cleanup while having a good time on the beach.