Ocean Plastic as an Energy Source
Lately there have been a great deal of videos portraying animals in the water being saved from plastic that is slowly taking over our oceans. According to National Geographic (Gary Knell), at this time over 90% of seabirds consume it. Over eight million tons of plastic is finding its way into the oceans every year. The end result is the destruction of our oceans’ flora and fauna and the reduction of available oxygen.
So what can be done with the massive amounts of plastic that is found in our oceans? Combustion!
Our team, Global Water Girls (GWG), consists of young women who work in the water industry and who came together because of our passion to protect one of our most valuable resources. We are a group of innovators, researchers, engineers, and collaborators. One of the hot topics in our industry is net-zero or net-positive energy at wastewater utilities, or the pursuit of energy efficiency and energy recovery to achieve self-sufficiency.
“According to WIRED, there are 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic (equivalent to one billion elephants) polluting our planet”
According to WIRED, there are 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic, which is the equivalent of one billion elephants, that will most likely stay with us for hundreds of years due to plastic’s slow biodegradation. Recognizing that we can do something with this feedstock, GWG is currently working with several key players to convert plastics into the energy needed to power wastewater treatment plants. We have a Technology Advisory Committee that consists of members from the water and energy industries that assist us as well move the project along. Currently wastewater treatment plants are one of the highest users of energy in cities and municipalities around the world. Using plastic as a feedstock, the technology converts the plastic into synthetic gas that can be used to power a wastewater treatment plant.
Want to learn more? Let’s talk at UNLEASH2017!
