Outboard engines: removing microplastics from the sea with each use

[Sailing Ohm]

Originally Posted by Brewgyver

Agreed. Nothing more than virtue signaling.

Stop it at the sources, and as most of the sources are in Communist China, good luck.

??? So the United States, the definition of throw away culture and plastic addiction, has nothing to do with this problem? A country that actively exports its trash to developing countries just to get rid of it. Before you start wildly pointing fingers you should look to make sure your own **** doesn’t stink.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by Sailing Ohm

??? So the United States, the definition of throw away culture and plastic addiction, has nothing to do with this problem? A country that actively exports its trash to developing countries just to get rid of it. Before you start wildly pointing fingers you should look to make sure your own **** doesn’t stink.

Actually, the U.S. is doing pretty well and getting better all the time. All of the various studies on who is doing the pollution point out that 90% of the plastic in the ocean comes from just 10 rivers. Of those, two are in Africa and eight are in Asia.

Certainly we have more we can do, but it is quite a bit of hypocrisy to call us the definition of the throw away culture when the entire world is a user and enabler of plastics for just about everything.

[Nicholson58]

This is virtue signaling. The volume of water passing through an OB is minuscule. You remove more plastic (Future micro particles) by picking up one pop bottle from the beach or a floating plastic bag than the OB could remove in its lifetime. Further, I would never compromise my safety or the OB life by potentially overheating it. Compare the environmental cost of replacing a ruined OB to a few micro ounces of krud.

This is a total non-starter for me. We take a trash bag on walks. Pick up an easy bushel every time out. Dump it appropriately and re-use the bag. Take re-usable containers to street vendors for food. Keep a ziplock bag in your backpack. Avoid plastic packaging.

Just guessing but is the proposed micro filter made of a chunk of disposable plastic?

[Mickeyrouse]

Sounds noble, but if you’re cruising, what do you do with what you capture?

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by Sailing Ohm

Why is so many people’s first reaction about this to be negative and pessimistic? This is an great innovation. While it’s not the saving grace we need any little bit helps and soon this tech will get scaled up to larger ships/ boats and hopefully that will start helping the problem. Have you ever seen how much water gets filtered through a 600’ container ship? It’s not inconsequential.

The reason so many people are negative about this idea is that it does not make sense. It adds complexity to the outboard with no benefit. Worse, it consumes resources while giving no advantages.

I would be willing to bet that everyone who thinks this idea is nonsense still wants clean water. I am also sure that everyone here thinks plastic in the ocean, and elsewhere, is an issue. This solution however is not a solution at all.

This reminds me of the Army's initiative to reduce paperwork a number of years ago. The "cure" was worse than the problem since it created more paperwork. Thankfully the Army figured it out and canned the program.

[Sailing Ohm]

Originally Posted by ArmyDaveNY

Actually, the U.S. is doing pretty well and getting better all the time. All of the various studies on who is doing the pollution point out that 90% of the plastic in the ocean comes from just 10 rivers. Of those, two are in Africa and eight are in Asia.

Certainly we have more we can do, but it is quite a bit of hypocrisy to call us the definition of the throw away culture when the entire world is a user and enabler of plastics for just about everything.

In case you are not aware: much of that waste from Asia and Africa originated in the USA. I witness container ships getting loaded down with trash for export frequently so I know it’s a huge problem. When you walk the beaches of SE Asia you clearly get a sense that a sizable portion trash originated in western countries.
Waste management authorities in the USA have long chosen to hide the trash problem and use the developing world as their dump. The great lazy philosophy, ‘out of sight out of mind’. As the quote unquote “greatest nation” the USA should take responsibility for its own trash (Among other things) and not simply ship it elsewhere to places that don’t have the appropriate infrastructure then say it’s resolved. Who is really to blame? What do you think happens to Malaysia or Sierra Leon when the turn away a US trash shipment? There are for sure economic repercussions that these developing nations cannot afford.

https://www.plasticpollutioncoalitio...ound-the-world

“Figure 1 shows that the U.S. exported 436 million kg in 2019 and is still exporting over 5,600 shipping containers (30 million kg) of plastic waste every month to countries with high waste mismanagement”

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by Sailing Ohm

In case you are not aware: much of that waste from Asia and Africa originated in the USA. When you walk the beach of SE Asia you clearly get a sense that a sizable portion trash originated in western countries.

Waste management authorities in the USA have long chosen to hide the trash problem and use the developing world as their dump. The great lazy philosophy, ‘out of sight out of mind’.

https://www.plasticpollutioncoalitio...ound-the-world

”

I was aware of it but that is irrelevant to my comment, which is that we getting better all the time. It is also not a big contributor to the issue of ocean plastic. Check out the article link below.

Again, it is an issue but you will see that we are responsible for roughly 1/10th of the waste that is being sent to Asia. Most of this trash is either recycled or put into landfills. While landfill trash is an issue, it is a different problem.

Keep in mind that most reports, while varying to an extent, discuss some 10 to 12 MILLION tons of plastics going into the ocean. The VAST MAJORITY of this comes from Asia and communist China in particular. While western countries are part of the problem, the issue is really world wide and not just limited to us. In fact, the western countries are less of a problem than Asia is.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsan...doesnt-want-it

This article is a worthwhile read and demonstrates a big, albeit different, problem.

If we really want to do something useful, we must address the issue at the manufacturing source, and address the end of life of the plastic product. There is much more that needs to be done but those things are outside the scope of this thread. With regards to the thread, using an outboard to filter the oceans is about as useful as using a toothpick to plug the cracks in the Titanic.

[captchetco]

I think this is a rather exciting example of thinking outside the box. In itself, probably of no measurable effect, but if the technology works and is economically sound, applying it to all vessel cooling systems would be a step in the right direction. After all, I've already picked up several plastic bags, and a few other small objects in my Perkins raw water pickup, of course its a good idea and should be fully explored.

[Heath68]

Originally Posted by markcouz

Wow those are some negative comments to what could be the start of a positive idea!

The plastic is already there and has been building up over many years, we could make a plan to slowly start filtering it out while shifting to a more sustainable form of packaging - or we could do nothing.

It seems to me that plastic in the ocean is a problem, and if there is a way to improve it without paying billions to some politician or crooked NGO then I am all for it.

This...

Plus our company goes out of their way to avoid Chinese made goods.. for many reasons including the environment, covid and government backed aggressive asset accumulation.. it works ok its just more effort.

[Heath68]

Originally Posted by zstine

I repeatedly hear "this idea is not enough" arguments against all kinds of green tech..

Every little bit counts. Are there no competitors/racers on this forum? We go through heck to reduce a few pounds on a 10,000 pound race boat. We wet sand the bottom, we change an Aluminum tiller for a carbon one, dynemma replaced stainless life lines. etc... Every little bit counts. That's how you succeed. The plastic didn't get there from 1 source and there's no 1 solution to get rid of it.

Good on Suzuki. Maybe all manufactures will follow and maybe it will go commercial. Has to start somewhere... you just can't have that old ignorant attitude that "my little footprint doesn't matter" when it comes to pollution. Everyone needs to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Absolutely

[Jim Cate]

Have you ever seen how much water gets filtered through a 600’ container ship? It’s not inconsequential.

Compared to the volume of the oceans it is indeed inconsequential.

Jim

[Sailing Ohm]

Originally Posted by ArmyDaveNY

I was aware of it but that is irrelevant to my comment, which is that we getting better all the time. It is also not a big contributor to the issue of ocean plastic. Check out the article link below.

Again, it is an issue but you will see that we are responsible for roughly 1/10th of the waste that is being sent to Asia. Most of this trash is either recycled or put into landfills. While landfill trash is an issue, it is a different problem.

Keep in mind that most reports, while varying to an extent, discuss some 10 to 12 MILLION tons of plastics going into the ocean. The VAST MAJORITY of this comes from Asia and communist China in particular. While western countries are part of the problem, the issue is really world wide and not just limited to us. In fact, the western countries are less of a problem than Asia is.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsan...doesnt-want-it

This article is a worthwhile read and demonstrates a big, albeit different, problem.

If we really want to do something useful, we must address the issue at the manufacturing source, and address the end of life of the plastic product. There is much more that needs to be done but those things are outside the scope of this thread. With regards to the thread, using an outboard to filter the oceans is about as useful as using a toothpick to plug the cracks in the Titanic.

I don’t think you understood the gist of the article you posted or what I posted. Did you even read them or just glance at the title?
The US is responsible for exporting 800 million lbs of plastic each year to places that do not have the resources or laws to properly dispose of them. How is the US doing better if it just continues to ‘hide’ our problem in other countries who then dispose of it illegally/ unethically. While the US would never allow this to happen in domestic territory we turn our back, in fact encourage it while simultaneously disparaging, illegal dumping overseas. It’s a very hypocritical stance that the US has been nice again found itself in.

[Sailing Ohm]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Compared to the volume of the oceans it is indeed inconsequential.

Jim

True but how was this helpful? the amount of plastic in the ocean compared to water is also inconsequential but it is still a major problem.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Sailing Ohm

... the amount of plastic in the ocean compared to water is also inconsequential but it is still a major problem.

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, in collaboration with Utrecht University, Netherlands, the University of Amsterdam, and The Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), examined cell abundances, size, cellular carbon mass, and how photosynthetic cells differ on polymeric and glass substrates over time. They investigated nanoparticle generation from plastic, such as polystyrene, which is known to disintegrate into nanoparticles in sunlight and ultraviolet radiation, and how this might disrupt microalgae.
Results of the study, published in the ISME Journal, a monthly publication of the International Society for Microbial Ecology, reveal that by measuring the average microbial biomass carrying capacity of different plastic polymers and, by extension, plastic marine debris in the global ocean, conservative estimates suggest that about 1 percent of microbial cells in the ocean surface microlayer inhabit plastic debris globally. This mass of cells would not exist if plastic debris was not in the ocean, and therefore, represents a disruption of the proportions of native flora in that habitat.
More About ➥ FAU | Novel Study First to Tally Biomass from Oceanic Plastic Debris

“Microbial carrying capacity and carbon biomass of plastic marine debris” ~ by Shiye Zhao et al
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-020-00756-2


Related articles (studies):
➥ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4972250/
➥ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6497127/
➥ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2873010/

[southatlantic]

“Simply reverting to all cotton fabrics rather than cotton/synthetic fabrics would do more to solve the microplastics problem than a zillion outboards with filters.”


I agree with this bit (and also with any solution that would stop fishermen from discarding nets). However, I would not dismiss Suzuki’s initiative out of hand:

1. Microplastics and plastics in general are NOT uniformly distributed throughout all the water in the ocean. Some types float (and do the most harm) close to the surface, some sink (and do a lot less harm, being essentially inert... almost like sand and mud).
So, filtering surface water is at least working on the right problem. Plastics are also concentrated in certain portions of the ocean surface by gyres and downwelling, although that is probably irrelevant to this discussion.

2. If this idea gets picked up by commercial shipping, as others have pointed out, it will begin to make a little difference. Every bit counts.

3. It will help educate boaters on the microplastic issue. My long gone dad stopped smoking (used to smoke two packs a day for over 20 years) a few months after he started using a cigarette holder with a filter. Cleaning the filter from all the disgusting tar daily was a real lesson for him on what had been going into his lungs...