Apparatus for Vacuuming Pollution from a Body of Water

Abstract

A floatable-material harvester is disclosed, including a vacuum source, transport hose, and a floatable-material receiver. In one embodiment, the transport hose has at least one air inductor/intake along its length, which allows air to enter the transport hose to accelerate its contents, by negative pressure air induction. In another embodiment, a transport hose has at least one floatable-material thruster along its length, comprised of at least one nozzle, which provides pressurized fluid (e.g., air or water) in the direction of the flow of the harvested floatable material by positive pressure induction. A method is disclosed whereby the floatable material harvester is used to harvest an absorbent material (e.g., wood chips, straw, perlite, zeolite, polypropylene mesh, titanate nanofibres) that has absorbed a pollutant (e.g., oil, solvent, radioactive isotopes) from a beach or in water.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A floatable-material harvester, comprising:
 a vacuum source having a vacuum source input;   a transport hose having an input at one end thereof and an output at another end thereof, the output of the transport hose being connected to the vacuum source input, the transport hose further having at least one air inductor associated therewith, said air inductor being configured for facilitating intake of air into the transport hose; and   a floatable-material receiver connected to the input of the transport hose.   
     
     
         2 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least one of a sterilizer and a refrigeration unit that sterilizes and refrigerates collected seaweed. 
     
     
         3 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , further comprising a ventilation system within the storage area of collected seaweed, as to provide at least one of outside air to the collected seaweed and exhaust of accumulated gases. 
     
     
         4 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the transport hose has at least one flotation device operably associated therewith. 
     
     
         5 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one air inductor is fluidly connected to at least one air control valve, each respective air control valve being configured for regulating the flow of air through a corresponding air inductor. 
     
     
         6 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 5 , wherein a plurality of air inductors along the length of the transport hose are fluidly connected to a plurality of air control valves, each respective control valve being configured for regulating the flow of air through a corresponding air inductor. 
     
     
         7 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 5 , further comprising a microprocessor coupled to at least on of the at least one air control valve and the speed control of the vacuum source, the microprocessor configured to control the at least one of an air control valve and the speed of the vacuum source. 
     
     
         8 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 5 , wherein at least one given air inductor has an airflow meter structurally associated therewith, the airflow meter being configured for metering an airflow through the given air inductor. 
     
     
         9 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one air inductor is comprised of at least one flotation device configured in such a manner as to minimize the entry of water into the transport hose from the body of water from which the air inductor floats. 
     
     
         10 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 9 , wherein the at least one air inductor is further comprised of an anchor. 
     
     
         11 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 10 , wherein the anchoring system is automated. 
     
     
         12 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one air inductor further comprises a snorkel. 
     
     
         13 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , further comprising an airtight hose section filled with air, the transport hose being carried within and passing through the airtight hose section, the airtight hose section interior being connected to the interior of the transport hose by the at least one air inductor. 
     
     
         14 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the floatable-material receiver further comprises at least one of a hopper and a funnel having an outlet, the hopper and funnel outlet being coupled to the input of the transport hose. 
     
     
         15 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 14 , wherein the at least one of a hopper and a funnel further comprises an agitator. 
     
     
         16 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the floatable-material receiver comprises a nozzle placed within the floatable-material receiver, the nozzle being configured to propel the contents of the floatable-material receiver with a fluid jet, the nozzle being connected to a pump configured for receiving fluid from a fluid source and for driving the fluid into the nozzle to produce the fluid jet. 
     
     
         17 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 16 , wherein the floatable-receiver is further comprised of a funneling element that receives floatable material that is propelled by the fluid jet from the nozzle. 
     
     
         18 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , further comprising a flotation device configured for supporting the floatable-material receiver when the floatable-material receiver is positioned within a body of water. 
     
     
         19 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 18 , wherein the flotation device further comprises a buoyancy control. 
     
     
         20 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 18 , wherein the flotation device further comprises a propulsion system.