Cleanwave: Solar Powered Beach Cleaner
Dwarkadas J. Sanghvi College of Engineering Graduation Project
Cleanwave is a semi-autonomous electric beach cleaning system powered by renewable solar energy. It is a sustainable solution to remove waste from sandy beaches using twin processes of mechanical raking and dynamic sitting, powered by solar energy.
Trash washing up on the beaches in Mumbai, India
Traditional beach cleaners used by the civic bodies
Our solution to the problem: Cleanwave
The Inspiration
As citizens of Mumbai, India, we have always seen a large amount of waste washing up on our beaches. The waste affects marine ecosystems as well as the quality of human life. Presently. the local government relies on manual labor or large expensive IC engine-powered cleaners, which are polluting, to clean the beaches.
We identified a need for a portable beach cleaner that could be powered by renewable energy and not require much human effort. We designed and fabricated a semi-autonomous electric beach cleaner system powered by solar panels embedded in it. Our goal was to tackle this urgent problem by creating a zero-emission solution.
Concept sketch of Cleanwave
Visualization of the mechanism of the system
Sketches of the potential powertrains
The Design Process
We wanted to innovate on the traditional cleaners used for beach waste. We conducted a number of design and trade studies to investigate the scope and application of such a machine. We visited various Mumbai beaches to understand the type of waste getting washed up. We observed that a lot of waste gets embedded in the subsurface of the sand. After narrowing down the subsystems, we created a CAD model in Autodesk Fusion 360 and procured materials. We used 3D printing, Brazing, CNC machining, and other manufacturing techniques to make individual and whole subsystems of the machine.
Our first priority was to ensure that the system was non-polluting. To accomplish this, we used renewable solar energy.
We also wanted to reduce the amount of human effort required to operate the cleaner, so we used Arduino and sensors to make the system semi-autonomous.
To maximise the system's collection capacity, we designed a motorised circular rake wheel to plough and a meshed pusher conveyor to segregate the sand.
To maximise grip and maneuverability, we chose a car-like power train with 6 cartwheels and 3D printed treads.
We chose corrosion-resistant C-PVC pipes for the framework because they are readily available, strong, and reusable.
Baseframe assembly of Cleanwave
Manufactured conveyor
Cleanwave before assembly
Testing our solar panel
Design Layout and Working Principle of Cleanwave
Cleanwave was nominated for the James Dyson Award for Sustainability 2020
This design project is our take on an efficient and portable beach cleaner that is powered by solar energy. This project exhibits the possibility of converting a prime piece of machinery into something small, portable & autonomous at one-hundredth of the cost of traditionally available cleaners in the market.
