In order to reduce marine debris, which causes serious pollution of the marine environment, researchers from the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Construction Technology (KICT, President Kim, Byung-Suk) have developed a technology to reduce floating debris in rivers. As rivers are the main transport channel for marine debris originating from land, a research team led by Dr. Sang Hwa Jung has launched a Living Lab project involving localities, local citizens and experts.
The River Experiment Center in Andong City has three linear and curvilinear experimental waterways measuring 700 m (L) x 11 m (W) x 2 m (H) and a laboratory for empirical testing of dam failure and urban flood control techniques. Source**: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Construction Technology.
Chungcheongnam-do (also known as Chungnam) has the third-longest coastline in South Korea, with a total of 500 rivers and streams in the region. The amount of marine debris in the Chungnam region is increasing year by year, and about 61 percent of the total amount of marine debris flows through rivers2%。As a result, Chungnam installed and operated an interception facility in 2019, but structural damage occurred during heavy rains and floods that needed to be addressed. The main cause of the damage is that the structural and functional design of the interception facilities does not take into account the geometry and characteristics of the river (water level, width, flow rate, water level changes, etc.).
To improve the applicability of AI analytics in the real world, we acquired and utilized image data from square watersheds and full-scale experimental river channels. Source**: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Construction Technology.
In addition to ensuring the structural safety of the interception facilities, the main objectives of the project include the development and testing of interception facilities with collection support functions to facilitate collection, respond to changes in river water levels, and monitor functions to determine appropriate timing for collection.
Dr. Jung's research team carried out research in the following phases: characterization of the target river, selection of the best river point, design of interception facilities, support piles and connectors, and on-site construction of interception facilities. Among them, the design and construction of the interception facility was carried out jointly with Foresys**, while numerical model experiments and full-scale demonstration tests were carried out at the River Experiment Center in Andong City, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
The River Experiment Center covers an area of 192,051 square meters. The center has the largest test infrastructure in Korea, with a flow rate capacity of up to 10 cubic meters per second, providing the best demonstration test infrastructure.
A floating garbage interception facility located on the river surface of a tributary of the lower reaches of the Okgu River in Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do. The interceptor can withstand a load of 100 tonnes and is combined with a connecting support pile that can be moved up and down to cope with changes in water levels. Drone footage provided by Foresys. **Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Construction Technology.
Using the results of this research, an interception facility was built on the Okgu River (also known as Okgu River) in Gongju, Chungnam, and was put into operation in May 2023. During the implementation of the project, a monitoring system was established based on local input to determine the appropriate time for collection and to check the health information in real time.
On the basis of the acquired image data, a support system was also developed. The system uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze the amount and composition of floating debris in rivers and determine the appropriate collection cycle.
Dr. Jung said"It is difficult to collect garbage entering the sea because it spreads widely and contains impurities (salt, silt, etc.) that increase the cost of clean-up, so it is necessary to intercept and collect garbage from the river before entering the sea. "He also emphasized:"By combining traditional river engineering with advanced technologies such as information technology and artificial intelligence, these technologies can further solve local and global environmental problems. "
The project is highly anticipated by the local community for its convergence technology development and sustainability based on the Living Lab. The interception facilities and monitoring system installed in the Yuguchuan River will continue to operate until 2026 and will continue to be improved, and discussions are underway with relevant localities** to extend the results to other rivers in the future.
Compilation**: scitechdaily