Waste To Energy Opportunities In Waste To Energy Opportunities In The Ocean’sThe Ocean’s

Giant Floating LandfillsGiant Floating Landfills

Is Another

Man’s Treasure

One Man’s

Floating Landfills in Our OceansFloating Landfills in Our Oceans

• North Pacific Subtropical GyreNorth Pacific Subtropical Gyre– A slowly moving, clockwise spiral A slowly moving, clockwise spiral

of currents created by a high-of currents created by a high-pressure system of air currents.pressure system of air currents.

– The area is an The area is an oceanic desertoceanic desert, , filled with tiny phytoplankton but filled with tiny phytoplankton but few big fish or mammals. few big fish or mammals.

• It's the largest landfill in the It's the largest landfill in the worldworld

• Size of a continentSize of a continent

Garbage MapGarbage Map

How Much Waste?How Much Waste?

• Over 1/2 pound of Over 1/2 pound of debris for every 100 debris for every 100 square meterssquare meters

• To a depth of 30 metersTo a depth of 30 meters• Totals over 7,000,000 Totals over 7,000,000

tons!tons!• 6 pounds of plastic 6 pounds of plastic

waste per pound of waste per pound of planktonplankton

How It Gets ThereHow It Gets There

• Map of current drift over 10 yearsMap of current drift over 10 years

• Objects start near coasts and end in gyreObjects start near coasts and end in gyre

Plastic Is ForeverPlastic Is Forever

• Plastic doesn’t biodegrade Plastic doesn’t biodegrade by any natural processby any natural process

• Plastic Plastic photodegradesphotodegrades into into small bits in sunlightsmall bits in sunlight

• Small bits are called Small bits are called nurdlesnurdles

Nurdles are Chemical SpongesNurdles are Chemical Sponges

• Nurdles get sucked up by filter Nurdles get sucked up by filter feeders and damage their feeders and damage their bodies. bodies.

• Ingesting plastic creates Ingesting plastic creates deadly blockagesdeadly blockages

• Hormone poisoning for brain Hormone poisoning for brain activity and reproductionactivity and reproduction– Plastics accumulate non-

water-soluble poisons. – Plastic pellets have been

found to accumulate up to one million times the level of these poisons that are floating in the water itself.

• Poison-filled masses threaten Poison-filled masses threaten the entire food chainthe entire food chain– Deadlier at the top of the food Deadlier at the top of the food

chainchain• Poison concentrates the Poison concentrates the

higher up the food chain you higher up the food chain you go go

Other Hazards of PlasticOther Hazards of Plastic

• DeathDeath– EntanglementEntanglement– Ghost FishingGhost Fishing

• Derelict Fishing GearDerelict Fishing Gear

• Ecosystem DamageEcosystem Damage– Damage to Coral ReefsDamage to Coral Reefs

Waste From 3/12 Mile TrawlWaste From 3/12 Mile Trawl

• a drum of hazardous chemicals; a drum of hazardous chemicals; • an inflated volleyball, half covered in an inflated volleyball, half covered in

gooseneck barnacles;gooseneck barnacles;• a plastic coat hanger with a swivel a plastic coat hanger with a swivel

hook;hook;• a cathode-ray tube for a nineteen-a cathode-ray tube for a nineteen-

inch TV;inch TV;• an inflated truck tire mounted on a an inflated truck tire mounted on a

steel rim;steel rim;• numerous plastic, and some glass, numerous plastic, and some glass,

fishing floats;fishing floats;• a gallon bleach bottle that was so a gallon bleach bottle that was so

brittle it crumbled in our hands; brittle it crumbled in our hands; • and a menacing medusa of tangled and a menacing medusa of tangled

net lines and hawsersnet lines and hawsers

It Gets WorseIt Gets Worse

• There are five such gyres on Earth, not There are five such gyres on Earth, not just one!just one!

Opportunity In Disguise?Opportunity In Disguise?

• Seen as problem…Seen as problem…

• Biologists are studyingBiologists are studying

• Activists are writing about itActivists are writing about it

• I see it as a huge opportunity…I see it as a huge opportunity…

Waste to Energy is the SolutionWaste to Energy is the Solution

• GasificationGasification– process that converts process that converts

carbonaceous materials, carbonaceous materials, such as plastics into such as plastics into syngas, a fuel.syngas, a fuel.

• Gasification of fossil fuels Gasification of fossil fuels is currently widely used is currently widely used on industrial scales to on industrial scales to generate electricity. generate electricity.

• Almost any type of Almost any type of organic material can be organic material can be used as the raw material used as the raw material for gasification, such as for gasification, such as wood, biomass, or even wood, biomass, or even plastic waste. plastic waste.

Current Waste To Energy SuccessCurrent Waste To Energy Success

• Waste Management Waste Management operates 16 waste-to-operates 16 waste-to-energy facilities and five energy facilities and five independent power independent power production plants production plants

• Located in the Northeast Located in the Northeast and in Florida, California and in Florida, California and Washington.and Washington.

• Together, plants have the Together, plants have the capacity to process more capacity to process more than 21,000 tons of than 21,000 tons of waste per day. waste per day.

The ProcessThe Process

• Collect floating debrisCollect floating debris– SkimmersSkimmers– NetsNets– Vacuum\pump systemVacuum\pump system

• Sort out metals for recyclingSort out metals for recycling

• GasifyGasify

Processing OptionsProcessing Options

• Option A: Transport to land-based plantOption A: Transport to land-based plant

• Option B: Process on specially built factory Option B: Process on specially built factory shipsships

BenefitsBenefits

• Cleaner oceansCleaner oceans

• More plankton for wildlifeMore plankton for wildlife

• Fewer poisons in Fewer poisons in foodchainfoodchain

• Less ocean dumping as Less ocean dumping as waste to energy grabs waste to energy grabs holdhold

• Renewable resource Renewable resource (plastic is here to stay)(plastic is here to stay)

• Ease stressed power grids Ease stressed power grids in Southwest USA and in Southwest USA and around the globearound the globe

• Job creationJob creation

• Shareholder valueShareholder value

Simplistic TimelineSimplistic Timeline

• 7,000,000 tons in gyre7,000,000 tons in gyre

• 1,300 tons per day capacity at one 1,300 tons per day capacity at one current waste to energy plant current waste to energy plant

• Time to clean up = 14 yearsTime to clean up = 14 years

ContactContact

• Tim JohnsonTim Johnson

• Midas Management ConsultingMidas Management Consulting

• (608) 270-9688(608) 270-9688

• www.MidasManagementConsulting.comwww.MidasManagementConsulting.com