Apparatus for Transporting 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 collection area having a collection input;   a transport hose having a hose input and hose output, the hose output directed to the collection area input;   at least one of a pump and a vacuum source configured in such a manner as to promote flow of floatable material through the transport hose towards the collection area;   a floatable-material receiver connected to the hose input, the floatable-material receiver being configured for initially receiving floatable material and then directing the received floatable material into the transport hose; and   a mechanical device that picks up floatable material and provides said floatable-material to the floatable-material receiver.   
     
     
         2 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the height and the length of at least one mechanical device that picks up floatable-material is controlled by at least one electronic device that receives and interprets energy from an object. 
     
     
         3 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 2 , wherein the at least one electronic device that receives and interprets energy from an object is comprised of at least one of a sonar system and an electronic camera and a radar system and a Geiger counter and a laser. 
     
     
         4 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the height of at least one device that turns on an axle to provide motion is controlled by an electronic device that receives and interprets energy from an object. 
     
     
         5 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the height and the length of a plurality of mechanical devices that pick up floatable material are controlled by at least one electronic device that receives and interprets energy from an object. 
     
     
         6 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the height of a plurality of devices that turn on an axle to provide motion are controlled by at least one electronic device that receives and interprets energy from an object. 
     
     
         7 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the collection area is comprised of a filter, the filter configured to allow fluid provided by the transport hose to pass through said filter, said filter collecting floatable material and directing floatable material to a conveyor, the conveyor configured to meter floatable-material away from the collection area. 
     
     
         8 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the floatable-material receiver is connected to the mechanical device that picks up floatable-material by a swivel connection configured to pass floatable material through said swivel connection. 
     
     
         9 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 8 , wherein the swivel connection has the flow of material assisted by at least one of a nozzle and three conveyors. 
     
     
         10 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the height and the length of at least one mechanical device that picks up floatable material is controlled by at least one pressure sensor. 
     
     
         11 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 10 , wherein the at least one pressure sensor is structurally associated with at least one of a tine and a hook. 
     
     
         12 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the transport hose is supported by at least one of an amphibious vehicle. 
     
     
         13 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 12 , wherein the at least one amphibious vehicle moves laterally along the transport hose, the amphibious vehicle connected to the transport hose by a slider joint. 
     
     
         14 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 12 , wherein the position of the at least one amphibious vehicle is controlled by an electronic device that receives and interprets energy from an object. 
     
     
         15 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 12 , wherein the height of the transport hose is controlled by at least one vertical jack connected to the at least one amphibious vehicle. 
     
     
         16 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the mechanical device that picks up floatable material is supported by at least one of an amphibious vehicle and a watercraft. 
     
     
         17 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the transport hose is comprised of at least one air inductor associated therewith, said air inductor being configured for facilitating intake of air into the transport hose. 
     
     
         18 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the transport hose is comprised of at least one floatable-material thruster comprised of at least one nozzle and at least one pump, said nozzle being fluidly connected to at least given one pump, said nozzle being fluidly connected to the transport hose and directed into the transport hose, said nozzle being configured for promoting fluid flow within the transport hose toward the hose output. 
     
     
         19 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 18 , wherein at least one floatable-material thruster is structurally associated with at least one cavitation detector, said cavitation detector configured to control at least one of at least one flow valve and at least one of the generated thrust and speed of at least one pump. 
     
     
         20 . A floatable-material harvester according to  claim 1 , wherein the transport hose is comprised of buoyancy control.