Transforming ocean plastics
Every minute, 20,000 kilos of plastic waste are dumped into the oceans, and only 9% of the plastic is recycled. This has a devastating impact on the environment and human health. However, reusing plastics in the circular economy has many advantages, from biodiversity conservation to environmental protection and economic benefits.
It is through this observation that the Dutch company Searious Business - managed by Willemijn Peeters - decided to fight against ocean pollution by creating a product usually designed in plastic: a racing yacht.
The young woman surrounded herself with experts - Wijk Yacht Creation and BeteoR BV to manufacture the first 3D printed boat in the world based on plastic waste. By making this 20 m long sailboat made of 20 tons of plastic, they hope to prove to companies that it is possible to produce anything in plastic, especially to the beverage and shipping industries.
One Minute Boat, a recycled plastic boat
To recall the data of this plastic pollution, the sailboat is called the One Minute Boat (it takes one minute for 20 tons of waste to be dumped into the sea) and will have a weight of 20 000 kilos (the weight of plastic waste dumped into the ocean every minute). It will be built from PET plastic bottles - about 1,000,000 bottles for the hull and superstructure - produced from hundreds of billions each year and discarded.
According to the Dutch company, the amount of energy used to produce the boat should be 1/3 less than traditional shipbuilding. And using recycled plastic (instead of new plastic) will save 66%. " The design and construction will not only help to eliminate plastic waste, but also to save energy by using the best available technologies. We will minimize energy consumption, water consumption and CO2 emissions."
To show the viability of the project, a first model was produced by the 3D printing company Lay3rs and the filament manufacturer Tridea and presented at the"A Plastic Ocean" event in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The objective was to present a 2 m model in The Hague at the arrival of the Volvo Ocean Race (and to make the One Minute Boat participate in the next edition) but perhaps the announcement of a rapprochement between the IMOCA class and the crewed round the world race stopped the creators in their tracks.
Made from 100% recycled plastic, the One Minute Boat will also be 100% recyclable. It can easily be deconstructed and transformed into another product. A characteristic that could therefore resolve the decommissioning of end-of-life vessels .
For this project, Searious Business is looking for funds and partners since the total cost of a boat is estimated at 3 million euros.
