Design, Construction, and Evaluation of a Solar-Powered Mechanized Flotation System

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Flotation remains one of the most important methods by which paleoethnobotanists recover botanical remains from archaeological contexts. However, logistics in the field can make supplying mechanized flotation machines with water (and subsequently powering motorized pumps) a challenge. This poster details the process by which we utilized bilge pumps, batteries, and solar panels to construct a mechanized flotation system that operated with a natural water source and the power of the sun. We describe the installation and operation of the system in the field during the Taraco Archaeological Project 2022 and 2023 field seasons and also examine the effectiveness of this system through an analysis of recovery rate and operation time compared to a gas-powered motor set up, operated during the same field seasons. Finally, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the system we used, and provide recommendations regarding the construction and operation of similar systems from this experience.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40302.0