Large ocean going ships often burn bunker fuel, best described as the waste from the petro-chemical refining process. This extremely dirty fuel will soon be replaced by a cleaner version that helps reduce plastic waste.
In the Port of Amsterdam, a new factory is being built that could revolutionize the way we dispose of plastic waste. Utilizing groundbreaking technology, the facility will use previously unrecyclable plastic to create fuel for diesel powered cargo ships. The group behind the facility is Bin2Barrel, a Dutch company founded in 2012 by waste management entrepreneurs Floris Geeris and Paul Harkema. While the chemical recycling technology used in the past has worked, Bin2Barrel is the first company to utilize it commercially. Thanks to a partnership with the Port of Amsterdam and a grant from the Dutch government, the plant is expected to begin operations by the end of 2018 . If all goes well, this will be the first of four such ‘plastic to fuel’ factories to be built near the port. In the initial year it’s estimated that 35,000 tonnes of garbage will be converted into 30 million litres of fuel, giving value to materials that would otherwise go to waste. The project provides a multitude of environmental benefits across the entire value chain. The Port of Amsterdam estimates an annual 57,000 tonnes reduction of CO2 emissions. Photo by Pixabay The most obvious benefit is in waste disposal. […]
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