Tour Rules About

Idea

Engineered filter feeders that accumulate rare elements from rivers or seas

Image credit: Dr. Charles Randkley

Darko Savic

Darko Savic Jul 25, 2021

Please leave the feedback on this idea

Originality

Is it original or innovative?

Feasibility

Is it feasible?

Necessity

Is it targeting an unsolved problem?

Conciseness

Is it concisely described?

Bounty for the best solution

Provide a bounty for the best solution

Bounties attract serious brainpower to the challenge.

The idea is to engineer a suitable species of filter feeders like clams, mussels, crustaceans, which would then filter river water and accumulate a very specific rare-earth element. Periodically the animals would be harvested and the rare element extracted.

Alternatively, the same could be done in the sea. Nets containing engineered filter feeders could be dragged along the areas known to contain a specific rare element. Such nets could be dragged by cargo vessels. This would result in higher energy usage as compared to river filtering.

This idea was inspired by Juran's idea to mine heavy metals by filter feeders.

genetic engineering environmental science aquaculture

Creative contributions

Know someone who can contribute to this idea? Share it with them on , , or

Add your creative contribution

General comments

Darko Savic

Darko Savic4 years ago

Check out the teeth on this one https://youtu.be/gQ1YdszFH7Q

Please leave the feedback on this idea

ByKMZ

Repurpose Vacant Office Space for Aquaculture

ByDarko Savic

A database/website listing supergenes that enable special abilities

ByDarko Savic

Deinococcus radiodurans engineered to take the place of an intracellular organelle in charge of DNA integrity

ByPovilas S

A simple, filter-based device to capture environmental scents

ByDarko Savic

Engineered epiphytic plants that require no watering and can be eaten whole

ByDarko Savic

Using engineered filter feeders to clean rivers and their shells as concrete aggregate

ByDarko Savic

Eradicate oral bacteria with bacteriophage viruses and replace them with genetically modified, protective strains

ByPovilas S

The smell of atmospheric air subconsciously affects our mood