Our Vision
The Automated Leviathan
Drone Basics
The A.L. 3000 moves autonomously, detecting microplastics with its echolocation sensor
The AL3K is a submarine shaped vessel which uses bacteria to collect and degrade ocean microplastic.
All AL3K movement via its propellers and rudder is automated, so it collects plastic wherever the echolocation sensor detects plastic
Dual magnetic charging ports connect to the AL3K's interior lithium ion battery, which also connects to its internal computer.
The top fin of the AL3K contains an echolocation sensor for detecting plastic, as well as an antenna to communicate with its buoy.
Buoy Basics
The buoy handles all automations and timers of the drone via antenna. The buoy also charges the drone.
A solar panel on top of the buoy supplies power to two lithium ion batteries inside, and a computer core inside.
The AL3K relies on this buoy to work. The buoy communicates automations to the AL3K via antenna.
A solar panel on top of the buoy supplies power to two lithium ion batteries inside, and a computer core inside.
Dual magnetic chargers supply power to the AL3K when it docks, and an anchor keeps it in place in the ocean.
Image depicts the A.L. 3000 magnetically charging at its buoy.
The Bacteria Plastic Rig
The Bacteria Plastic rig is responsible for supplying plastic to the bacteria, and flushing out the water.
The bacteria-plastic rig (BP) is made of titanium, and contains a containment of the plastic degrading bacteria.
An echolocation sensor would be utilized in detecting plastic to flow through the filter.
After the microplastic is trapped in the filter, electromagnets pull the filter into the chamber of bacteria where it stays until the plastic is gone. Another electromagnet would pull the filter out of the bacteria chamber, and the process would start again.
A hatch opens up to allow saltwater to flow through this titanium system and through a microplastic filter. compressed air removes water from the BP.
The Pseudomonas putida Bacteria
The Pseudomonas putida bacteria is used within the A.L. 3000 to degrade the ocean microplastics after collection.
The bacteria used to degrade the plastic collected by the A.L. 3000 would be a genetically modified strain of Pseudomonas putida. P. putida are a bacteria that are common in soil and water and other environments where oxygen is present. Recent research has also discovered that certain strains of P. putida that have been exposed to plastic in the wild have developed capabilities to degrade certain types of plastics. Owing to plastic being a relatively recent innovation and the great lengths of time it takes for natural selection to come into play, these wild strains are limited in what types of plastic they can degrade and they cannot degrade them very efficiently. However, with the use of certain genetic modification techniques such as genetic engineering, in the near future we anticipate it will be possible to develop a strain of P. putida that can degrade many types of plastic and can do so in a timely fashion.”