Yuna buoy

Side view of a model of a buoy showing the two pieces attached together. Side view of a model of a buoy showing the two pieces attached together. Underside view of a model of a buoy showing the two pieces attached together. Underside view of a model of a buoy showing the two pieces attached together. Top view of a model of a buoy showing the two pieces attached together. Top view of a model of a buoy showing the two pieces attached together.
Side view of a model of a buoy showing the two pieces attached together. Side view of a model of a buoy showing the two pieces attached together. Underside view of a model of a buoy showing the two pieces attached together. Underside view of a model of a buoy showing the two pieces attached together. Top view of a model of a buoy showing the two pieces attached together. Top view of a model of a buoy showing the two pieces attached together.

Description

The Yuna mooring buoy is a concept designed to capture microplastics in the ocean. This 1:5 scale model was conceived and made by YUDesign, a team of twenty students from the University of Valencia. The buoy is intended to be secured at a depth of 1-2 metres below the surface of the water, where it moves and rotates with the currents to capture tiny plastics fragments (known as microplastics) of less than 5mm in diameter, through a series of activated carbon filters. Adopting biomimicry, the design was inspired by the structure of the sunfish. A 2019 national winner of The James Dyson Award, the team now hope to commercialise their product, intending to manufacture the buoy from polyethylene with a polyurethane foam core, moulded as two mirrored halves from a single mould to minimise production costs. The Yuna turns a marine object in widespread use into a proactive solution for collecting plastics waste, that can then be properly recycled. This model is 3D printed in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.
Designers & Manufacturers
Designer (Organisation)
Manufacturer

Object number

AIBDC : 008562

Date

2019

Country

Method

Dimensions
Width
135mm
Length
190mm

Colour