A new hydrogen powered technology developed in South Korea is being used to help solve microplastic pollution without generating greenhouse gas emissions.
To help with the environmental problem, Omphalos, a new hydrogen tech autonomous truck, was created with several microplastic collection devices. Tire wear is one of the biggest sources of microplastics in our environment, according to South Korean designer Cheolhee Lee, who created the concept. In fact, according to Nokian Tyres, “wear particles from tire and road materials are the second largest primary source. Together, these primary sources form 15-31% of the microplastics in the oceans, that is, less than one-third.”
That’s just in our world’s oceans, not including the atmosphere. Well, the Omphalos (meaning navel) is designed to help solve this problem with an array of microplastic-collecting systems, and its hydrogen propulsion only adds to its existing environmental contributions.
The designer believes that the hydrogen tech Omphalos will be helpful at airports.
One of the main settings where the designer sees this concept hard at work is at an airport. This is partially due to the fact that the Omphalos was designed to merely transport freight between logistics centers or from one terminal to another. That part is simple enough and doesn’t require much grey matter power to grasp. Airports make a good place to operate this type of microplastics collecting vehicle because of the number of other vehicles that are continually operating there.
These microplastics collection vehicles, known as Omphalos, are powered by hydrogen fuel, allowing them to run continuously for up to 24 hours at a time, only stopping for short refueling intervals when needed. In contrast, battery-powered equipment necessitates longer recharge times, which limits the vehicles’ capacity to be used continuously during consecutive shifts.
The goal of the hydrogen fuel-powered Omphalos is to assist make sure that microplastics are cleared from the ground before they may wash into nearby rivers or be carried up into the atmosphere. It was built to function independently without the need for a human operator.
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At the moment, the Omphalos is just a concept. The idea was presented through YUID Online Exhibition Degreeshow, a group aimed at showcasing concepts that cause us to look at things a bit differently.
Original article here.
Our work with hydrogen
In an effort to contribute to the transformation, Universal Kraft works to integrate environmentally friendly, cost-effective solutions throughout the whole power production chain. We have been working with green hydrogen production for several years through our partner company Universal H2.
We think hydrogen might help with storage, clean energy distribution, heavy transportation, and industry use—some of the major problems facing the energy transition. Discover more about our solutions here.
