Nothing beats swimming in natural water on a hot summer day, right? But every year the same question arises: Is the water safe for swimming, or is that dreadful blue-green algae preventing us from entering the water? With WasteShark and MegaShark removed RanMarine it’s not just plastic waste and unwanted algae. “We are now working hard to develop a state-of-the-art MegaShark that can also tackle the harmful and annoying blue-green algae,” said Richard Hardiman, CEO of the Rotterdam company.
- Aquadrone RanMarine combats water pollution by eliminating harmful blue-green algae and plastic waste
- The MegaShark drone specifically targets harmful algae
- RanMarine aims to provide proactive water quality data worldwide
In the ongoing fight against water pollution, RanMarine is causing a stir with its innovative water drone technology. The company tackles the global problem of water pollution with the WasteShark and Mega Shark: high-tech devices that glide through water and collect pollutants. “You can compare them to a standalone vacuum cleaner, but instead of vacuuming your living room, they suck up the top thirty centimeters of the drain,” explains Hardiman. Equipped with sensors and cameras, drones can navigate complex waters.
Mega Shark
Natural waters are currently facing a major problem: algae growth. The consequences of algae overgrowth range from an unattractive appearance and bad smell – bad for tourism and overall well-being – to serious disruption of aquatic ecosystems by lowering oxygen levels and blocking sunlight, damaging plants and endangering fish. “Blooms are triggered by excessive nutrient runoff from agricultural land and also benefit from climate change. As temperatures rise and populations grow, we need to feed more people. That means more farming and more fertilizer. I estimate that algae will become a big problem in the future,” said Hardiman.
So it’s time to develop the MegaShark drone, especially to combat this dangerous algae. “MegaShark can help restore the balance of degraded ecosystems.” Although Hardiman started his company fighting floating debris such as plastic, the company now derives 30 to 40 percent of its revenue from algae removal.
Next step: Advanced Megashark
In the Netherlands, the presence of blue-green algae is a constant challenge, especially because of the many inland waterways, such as lakes and rivers. As a result, the water quality in this region is relatively low compared to cleaner coastal waters. Blue-green algae can be toxic, posing a risk to swimmers and pets, requiring action to limit harmful effects.
But there is also good news. RanMarine is currently working on an advanced version of the shark that tackles the problem of blue-green algae – an even more difficult organism to get rid of. “This process works differently because it involves toxic bacteria and not algae,” Hardiman explained. “So we’re working with a company in the United States that has patented a system to start eliminating this blue-green algae. They don’t have robots that can swim, but we do. Gold combination. Our modified drone kills blue-green algae without using chemicals. Our craft traverses the surface of the algae, filters the water, and pushes it through a three-stage process, of which sonic treatment (using sound waves) is one step. We are currently in a testing phase where we are incorporating this technology with our robots. We will be able to offer this solution soon. We will definitely have it next year.”
Trash Shark
The adventures of RanMarine began years ago with the WasteShark, RanMarine’s pioneering drone. It is specially designed to handle floating waste. These sharks have a large storage capacity, which allows them to collect up to five hundred kilograms of floating debris per day, including plastic bottles and bags, as well as other types of floating waste. Their design allows them to maneuver through narrow channels and busy areas, such as harbors and marinas, where plastic waste often accumulates. WasteShark’s ability to efficiently clean up polluted areas helps protect marine life and prevent further degradation of aquatic ecosystems.
This shark – its design inspired by the wide mouth of the whale shark – is now active around the world, from India to England. Disneyland in Florida uses these drones to keep the park’s famous lake clean, and WasteSharks are also active near homes, in the city of Rotterdam.
Proactive water purification
One of the company’s future goals is to be able to provide proactive advice on water quality worldwide. Hardiman: “We have looked at the water temperature, chemical balance and sediment. We have all these great water quality probes.”
Nowadays we are sometimes too late to tackle algae. “But in the future, we need to be able to monitor waters from around the world and predict where and when algae blooms will occur and deploy our ships in a proactive manner and address issues in a timely manner. This is how we keep our waterways as healthy and safe as possible.”
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