MARITIMES.gr September 27, 2012

Transcription

1 MARITIMES.gr September 27, 2012 Dr. Spyros Economou: Technologies for the Zero Waste Discharge Future Ship With the increase in world population and the deterioration of the environment by human activities, new rules are required to maintain tolerable living conditions. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), as requested by the United Nations, revised Annex 5 for the waste disposed at sea of the Marine Pollution 1973 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 (Annex V, MARPOL 73/78). From January 1 st 2013, waste discharge at sea that was allowed until now, will be prohibited. The reason is because they have proved so deadly to marine life such as oils or chemicals (see = 297). The tremendous amount of waste observed at sea today is the result of the last four hundred years and more. Consider that 450 years are required for a plastic bottle to be dissolved into the sea, according to the Greek Marine Environment Protection Association. So, according to Annex V MARPOL 73/78, the discharge of all garbage is prohibited, unless expressly permitted. The vessel, therefore, is charged with additional responsibilities. Waste that suit to a particular category can be discharged into the sea only under certain conditions; inversely, trash that does not fit into a category cannot be discarded at sea. The burden of proof has shifted, so that the captain should now prove that any discharge from the vessel will not cause harm to the marine environment. The owners and operators of vessels are requested to prepare for this change regarding the disposal of waste at sea, they should review ship labels, the ship books for waste log and all related manuals. Unfortunately, until now the only available technology for solid waste at sea was incineration. The use of the incinerators is not optimal for either the environment or for their operators. Terragon Environmental Technologies Inc. (Montreal, Canada) has developed an alternative technology, reliable, simple in operation which enables the gasification of waste of the ship with 95% weight reduction. Gas emissions from the gasifier comply with the requirements of international environmental organizations in America, the European Union and Asia. Details of the technology will now be reported by Dr. Spyros Economou, CEO of Terragon Gulf, exclusive distributor of the Canadian technologies in Greece, Middle East and North Africa. 1

2 As you write on your website it is impossible to avoid waste production. I wanted to ask first, could waste management be a profitable market and how? Correct, as it is impossible to avoid waste production, so it is inconceivable not to manage waste efficiently in a sustainable way, take benefit of produced resources and avoid environmental pollution. The management of waste is essential to our personal and public health. I personally believe that public health is the only reason to justify the involvement of the state in waste management and not the people who produce them! For proper management of waste, know how, expertise, space, personnel and funds are required. All previously mentioned factors make up the cost of waste management. By eliminating uncontrolled disposal of waste and by adopting new technologies, the cost of waste management is increasing. Waste management companies are trying to reduce the cost of their technologies in order to have a competitive advantage in international waste management bids, where the state seeks to reduce management costs for the taxpayer. To have profitable waste management operations, the benefit from the produced products plus the amount received for admission in the waste management area (gate fee, euro/tone of waste) should be higher than the cost of the initial investment and the plant operation cost. The management of waste should be profitable activity; otherwise it cannot attract sound capital and business people. The state should ensure with transparent procedures the best service to cost ratio for the taxpayer. Specifically, Terragon s technologies gasify the waste. Explain us how? The technology offered by Terragon Gulf for the management of mixed solid municipal waste is called MAGS (Micro Auto Gasification System). MAGS is a small and automated gasification unit for all organic waste. At pressure lower than the atmospheric and in oxygen starving conditions, the hydrocarbons contained in organic waste (plastic, wood, paper, packaging materials, used oil and medical waste) are decomposed into hydrogen, carbon monoxide and solid carbon. Under these conditions, no carbon dioxide is produced which contributes to global warming. Additionally, the product gas which is rich in carbon monoxide and hydrogen, known as synthesis gas (CO+H 2 ), is driven into the combustion chamber where it is used as fuel for the increment and maintenance of high temperature, necessary for the gasification. In this way the waste is gasified by its own generated gases, thus contributing to the sustainability of the technology. A very useful video that explains the stages of the gasification technology is posted at the corporate website at: gulf.com/technologies/mags/ 2

3 Interestingly, tell us how this initiative started This initiative started in Canada by a research team that works on high temperature technologies. The idea came from the way that our grandfathers and grandmothers were managing their waste in house. Food was buried in the garden, glass was shattered and was used either as cutting tool or for decorating house fences and metallic materials were used in many different ways (vertically integrated recycling). The other waste was piled up in a big barrel and was burnt. So the idea is the same, in house waste management but with a better, improved "tool", such as the MAGS gasifier which does not pollute the atmosphere. And the produced solid residue is used as fertilizer and soil conditioner. See below a photo of flowers growing in bio char, the solid residue of MAGS. The idea was financially supported by Sustainable Development Technologies Canada (SDTC), the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the U.S. Office of Naval Research (US ONR), mainly for the following reasons: 1. SDTC to develop a clean and sustainable technology for waste management; 2. RCN for use on ships in order to avoid sea pollution by its activities; and 3. U.S. ONR to have a simple, automated and portable unit for waste management with the best energy balance. What is the relationship and cooperation with Terragon Gulf Terragon Environmental Technologies Inc.: Terragon Gulf has exclusive distribution rights for the technologies of Terragon Environmental Technologies Inc. in Greece, Middle East and North Africa. Additionally there is a long term interest of Dr. Panagiotis Tsantrizos, the President and CEO of the Canadian company for Greece and the broader territory that helps Terragon Gulf s activities in the area. 3

4 Where MAGS (Micro Auto Gasification System) could be used and which are its capabilities for the solid waste management? MAGS could be installed on Ships; Small isolated municipalities; and Hospitals. Each MAGS can treat 750 kg of organic solid waste per day, corresponding to solid waste produced by 1500 persons, provided that a program of recycling and composting of food is in place. For larger quantities of waste, more MAGS units could be used in parallel. Which are the benefits from the use of MAGS? With MAGS the user has the following benefits: 1. With on site waste management, the waste transportation cost to the waste disposal/treatment sites is reduced; 2. The process is sustainable because the waste is gasified with the aid of syngas produced by the waste (gas rich in carbon monoxide and hydrogen); 3. Thermal energy is produced in the form of hot water, which is much more than the energy required to run the system, therefore the energy balance is positive; 4. Significantly reduces the volume and weight of waste. The solid residue (biochar) is only 5 8 wt.% of the original weight of the waste; 5. Bio char which is excellent soil fertilizer and water for industrial use are produced by MAGS; and 6. Waste is treated by the best available technology, ensuring minimal pollution of the environment. Could this technology by specifically implemented in commercial shipping? Is it a costeffective solution? In commercial shipping MAGS is already used by Maersk. Additionally it should be mentioned that it is used on another military ship of the Royal Canadian Navy, with excellent results in both cases: 4

5 Free considerable space where meant for storage of waste until its delivery to the nearest port; Allocate personnel in other major works rather than sorting and managing waste since minimum sorting of waste is required; Manage all waste that can be thermally processed on board, including plastics that are not easily manageable with other technology; Short training staff in the operation and maintenance of the machine; A significant reduction of odors from the waste in the vessel; and Improvement of safety and health conditions on board The waste management solution offered by Terragon Gulf is probably the most attractive available solution today for the ship in financial, technical and environmental terms. With regard to Research & Development, at what stage is the technology and which are the future prospects? The Research & Development (R&D) for MAGS started in 2005 with the support of the Royal Canadian Navy and the U.S. Office of Naval Research, with the aim to demonstrate the system s capability to manage the organic waste, reliably. In 2008, at a second stage, Sustainable Development Technologies Canada (SDTC) financed the R&D for MAGS. The aim was the justification of the systems gaseous emissions and the reliability of its automation. Prototype MAGS units were successfully evaluated in demonstration projects, from 2010 till recently, from interested customers. From March 2012 MAGS gasification devices are commercially available. For the future there are thoughts to develop smaller MAGS units for the installation within small buildings or houses for a fully independent, on site management of their waste. Additionally, the Canadian company is developing the last 4 years a technology for managing the ships wastewater. The technology is called WETT (Wastewater Electrochemical Treatment Technology) and removes solid particles and pollutants from wastewater and produces clean water that is safe for discharge into the sea or reuse. WETT technology will be commercially available end of Currently, the technology is tested in field on Amelia, a bulk carrier of the company Transport Desgagnès. By combining on the ship both MAGS and WETT technologies, for the management of solid and liquid waste, we can achieve zero discharges from the ship at sea and develop the future Zero Waste Discharge Ship. 5

6 The MV7 MAGS unit, designed for ship installations. Τhe V5 MAGS that has been successfully evaluated by Terragon Environmental Technologies and Terragon Gulf s customers. 6

7 MAGS is in operation at HMCS Protecteur, a Royal Canadian Navy vessel, from May Biochar, the solid residue from the gasification process. 7

8 MAGS has been installed on Laser, an anchor handling ship of Maersk. A US Marine operator, while loads the unit with waste at H.C. Smith US Marines Base in Hawaii. 8

9 An overview of MAGS installation at the US Marines base in Hawaii (USA). MAGS could be installed and operated within specially designed containers for mobility. The ease of transportation is particularly useful for military units or work camps. 9

10 WETT (Wastewater Electrochemical Treatment Technology) Unit for the treatment of sewage and oily water on vessels. Dr. Spyros Economou 10