Ship designed to collect plastic in the ocean could be a great new weapon against pollution of the seas. The collected garbage will be converted into hydrogen

Industries and governments around the world have increased the level of pollution of the oceans over the last few decades. This action generated a series of consequences for the environment. According to the United Nations (UN), about 800 species that live in different places on the planet will be affected by debris that was thrown into the sea. Thinking about reducing the impact of this problem, a ship is being designed to collect materials plastics from the sea and then convert it into clean hydrogen. 

The ship designed to collect plastic from the oceans is the result of a partnership between hydrogen generation and energy storage solutions company H2-Industries and German company TECHNOLOG Services. The ship's design indicates that it will be at least 150 meters long, but could be even longer. 

The idea of ​​the companies is that the ship travels at a speed of four knots, which corresponds to approximately 7,40km/h. The ship will travel with two smaller vessels that will be responsible for carrying the net that will collect the plastic. 

The collected plastics will be transformed into hydrogen. Companies believe that for every 600 kg of waste collected, around 100 kg of hydrogen can be produced and stored. Containers containing the hydrogen will be transferred from the ship to smaller vessels for delivery ashore. As it was produced from plastic taken from the ocean, the hydrogen produced is considered “beyond green” or “greener than green”. 

“It is becoming increasingly clear that the marine industry can have a positive impact on reducing global emissions. At H2-Industries, the plan is to help decarbonize industry and power generation by cleaning up our water resources and converting pollutants into a source of the energy. For this, we are looking for investors. Once the investment is complete, we expect each vessel to be built in approximately 24 months,” said Michael Stusch, CEO of H2-Industries. 

A rotary kiln will have the capacity to handle 600 kg of waste per hour. The design indicates that the vessel must have the capacity to match the speed at which the garbage is collected. The expectation is that the ship will work for a year in a place collecting garbage.  

Only after this period would he go to another location to collect other plastic. To prevent marine life from being harmed during the waste collection process, the ship will be equipped with the same technology used in the desalination industry.