River Cleaning System

The River Cleaning System is a modular barrier made of floating buoys which retains and displaces the incoming litter on various types of rivers and waterways.

It has its optimal application in flowing waters, where the natural push of the stream spins each module in a manner similar to that of a turbine.

The River Cleaning System covers part or the entirety of the waterway and is placed diagonally: this setup, coupled with the natural rotation of the buoys enables the system to displace the incoming trash flow, like a chain of gears, towards the collection point located near the riverbank.

As such, the River Cleaning barrier acts like an active collection system, relying on passive and clean forms of energy. In the Po River, the system will be upgraded with the following features:

• Rotation control: detectors to monitor the proper functioning of the system at any time, remotely.
• Automation: depending on the state of the river and the proper operation of the system, the River Cleaning barrier can be lifted above the water for safety reasons or perform automatic maintenance cycles to remove clogged large debris (trees, wood chunks).
• Electricity generation & storage: the River Cleaning system will convert the kinetic energy harvested from the rotation of the buoys into electricity. The energy will be stored and used to power the automatic functions of the system; furthermore, it will be possible to make the buoys spin even when the water is still, to avoid the clogging of debris.