Millions of tons of waste reach the oceans each year,
causing the sea to become the planet’s largest garbage depot, as inadequate or
nonexistent waste management systems – particularly in coastal and island
communities – enable massive patches of marine debris to form around the globe.
In an effort to end this process ashore and in the
seas, German entrepreneur and shipbuilder Dirk Lindeau, backed by a group of
German specialists and funded by the German federal foundation of environment
DBU, has produced a Waste-Recycling-Ship (WRS) concept that aims to provide an
efficient, economical and sustainable waste management solution for islands as
well as large coastal and river cities.
The team intends to implement German waste recycling
technologies aboard ships converted at a Kiel, Germany, shipyard to collect,
process and recycle waste on board in a safe, economical and environmentally
friendly manner.
According to Lindeau, it is often not possible to
install modern waste treatment plants on islands and coast areas for a number
of economical, geographical or logistical reasons. A feasibility study on the
Maldives Islands promoted by DBU found that the goals of the ship concept –
regulatory management and collection of wastes, the separation of the wastes on
board, and utilization of the materials as resources – are particularly
effective for these states, enabling waste management to be performed when not
otherwise possible.
The ship-bound solution aims to systematically collect
waste and separate it on board during loading, travel and unloading. Waste can
then be handled on board through mechanical and biological treatment technology
to produce secondary raw materials and energy through three main fraction
groups, further contributing to the concept’s proposed sustainability.
The organic fraction group is converted by
fermentation process into compost and biogas, which is then converted in a
gas-operated power heat coupling plant to electric power and heat.
The light fraction group, converted similarly in a
power heat coupling plant to electric power and heat, can be used to produce
clean water, compost and electricity from waste resources.
Lastly, the heavy fraction group will load metal,
electronic components and materials, etc. into containers to be sold for
recycling.
Source: marine link. 14 January 2014
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