Bubble Barrier Technology from Amsterdam May Come to Michigan's Grand River
Great Bubble Barrier has created The Bubble Barrier, which employs a perforated tube to form a bubble curtain that channels plastic debris to an aluminum collection area. Originally set up in Amsterdam's Westerdok in 2019, this innovative solution is now set to be installed in the Grand River located in Lansing, Michigan. The project involves collaboration among Great Bubble Barrier, LimnoTech, the City of Lansing, and Meijer, with support from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy for permits and funding. The Amsterdam installation gathers approximately 175 pounds of waste each month and captures 86% of floating plastics. Following a community-initiated barrier in Katwijk in 2022, Harlingen plans to implement one in 2024, with initial studies showing little effect on juvenile fish and plankton.
Key facts
- The Bubble Barrier was first installed in Amsterdam's Westerdok in 2019.
- The technology catches 86 percent of floating plastic debris, as validated by pilot and lab data.
- Amsterdam's Bubble Barrier collects about 175 pounds of inorganic dry debris per month.
- In 2022, the municipality of Katwijk implemented the first community-initiated Bubble Barrier, a nearly 400-foot-long barrier in the Oude Rijn waterway.
- In 2024, a Bubble Barrier was placed in the seaport city of Harlingen to prevent plastic pollution from flowing into the Wadden Sea.
- A Bubble Barrier is planned for the Grand River in Lansing, Michigan, which would be the first in the United States.
- The Great Lakes collect an estimated 22 million pounds of plastic debris each year, with Lake Michigan accounting for nearly half.
- The Red Cedar River runs for 51 miles through the Michigan State University campus, and the Grand River is the longest in Michigan.
Entities
Artists
- Philip Ehrhorn
- Jordy Wolfand
- Olav Hollingsaeter
- Brett Kaschinske
- Carla Wessels
- Lissy Goralnik
- Mike Stout
- Arya Satheesh
- Phanikumar Mantha
- Alan Steinman
- Hannah Docter-Loeb
Institutions
- The Great Bubble Barrier
- University of Portland
- OceanTherm
- Municipality of Katwijk
- City of Lansing
- LimnoTech
- Meijer
- Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy
- Michigan State University
- Grand Valley State University
- Michigan Waterway Stewards
- The Atlantic
- The Guardian
- Slate
- The Washington Post
- National Geographic
- Scientific American
- Smithsonian Magazine
- Earth Prize
Locations
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Westerdok
- North Sea
- Lansing
- Michigan
- United States
- Grand River
- Katwijk
- Oude Rijn
- Harlingen
- Wadden Sea
- Red Cedar River
- Lake Michigan
- Great Lakes
- Norway