S.E.R.C. Oceans Regeneration Project

S.E.R.C. Group Limited

OCEAN
REGENERATION

PROJECT



PLASTIC WASTE POLLUTING
OUR WORLD

This genie of impending environmental catastrophe is well and truly out of the ‘plastic lamp’ and can’t be put
back or ignored.
We are facing a global situation which affects every human being on this planet, namely discarded end of life
plastic found on land and sea.
Concentrating on the Oceans and seas – “Plastic in the sea does not belong to anybody, but affects
everybody”… Phil Hadley
The scale of the problem is immense and requires a common consensus from governments across the world
to deploy know how and funds to tackle this apparent catastrophe for humankind.
The headlines from prominent organisations such as
the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Science
Magazine are becoming more alarming by the day.
“Plastic in the sea will match the weight of fish by
2050”.
Shockingly just 5% of all plastics are recycled
effectively worldwide. In America where they
generate10.5 million tons of plastic a year only
1% or 2% is recycled.
Currently, the amount of plastic in the oceans is
estimated to be about 150 million tonnes

The cost to marine life is 90% of all seabirds have
incalculable. plastic pieces in their
stomachs and it is predicted
that by 2050, 99% of the
world’s
seabird species will be
accidentally eating plastic,
unless we take action to
clean up the oceans.

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THERE IS A
HUMAN COST

“Once in the ocean, plastic litter affects the safety
of sea transport, fisheries, tourism, and recreation.
When broken up into tiny pieces, plastic attracts toxic
chemicals released over decades from industry and
agriculture, the concentration of which increases
as they move up the food chain. Exposures to these
chemicals have been suggested to contribute to some
cancers, and infertility, as well as immune, metabolic,
cognitive, and behavioural disorders. The entry of
plastic pieces into our food chain is of concern to
human health”. Plastic Oceans Foundation California.
All this waste plastic in our environment is against a
backdrop of ever increasing world demand whereby
new plastics will consume 20% of all oil production
within 35 years, up from an estimated 5% today.
Globally just to stand still 6,000,000 tonnes of plastic
needs to be recovered a week and it is likely that
double this figure would need to be the target to make
any impact.
The UK is set to ban the sale of plastic straws and
drinks stirrers that blight the country’s seas and rivers,
ministers have announced.
In the latest move to tackle the escalating plastic waste problem, environment secretary Michael Gove said it is
“vital we act now” to eliminate straws from use – with 8.5 billion thrown away every year.
The ban, which also covers plastic-stemmed cotton buds was announced at the start of the Commonwealth
Heads of Government Meeting on Thursday 19th April 2018, where the UK has agreed to commit £61m to
develop new ways of clearing up plastics.
Whilst such initiatives must be applauded, similarly they should be recognised that taken in isolation they have
an insignificant impact on the global situation. You can understand this when we look to the swirling mess
of plastic debris in the middle of the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii which is now estimated as
covering an area three times the size of France.
The reality of the situation is quite frightening when you start to look at the weight and volumes of plastics
contamination globally.
This growing problem needs immediate and concerted large scale joined up action.

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I AM TIRED OF HEARING
THE POLITICAL MANTRA OF
“REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE”

Political propaganda put out by the uninspired to satisfy the hopes of the ill-informed who truly believe that
separating the waste in their households is making an impact on the Global waste problem.
Now don’t misunderstand my cynicism, in so far as any positive action is better, no matter how ill
informed, than no action at all.
Let’s start with Reduce.... Quite frankly if all plastic production was to be halted today, we have a legacy of
60-70 years plastics production sitting on the Planet somewhere, be it on land or more dramatically within our
Oceans.
Some 8.3 billion tonnes is the estimated amount of virgin plastic produced to date from the last
60-70 years. Of which it is estimated that there are 6.3 billion tonnes of this plastic still polluting the planet, the
majority of which (somewhere between 73% and 79%) is accumulated in landfills or the natural environment
such as the world’s Oceans.
Whilst plastic in landfill is buried and forgotten, the impact on the environment is still at an alarming scale as
the chemicals that are within the plastics leach out and end up in the water table.
Reuse .... One has to ask the question if you reuse your shopping bag, what impact does that have on the
shopping that you place in the bag, the answer is zero. Food and drink is extensively packaged in plastic, the
volume of which is far in excess or the bag you put it in. Psychologically you may perceive that you are doing
your bit for the planet but in reality you are succumbing to the political smokescreen. In any event, the bag you
are taking such care of may itself be a future plastics waste issue, just currently stored more conveniently.
Recycle .... The most over exposed, misconceived and misused expression when related to plastics materials. The
concept that you take a plastic product, recycle it and return it to the original product is simply not true. With
every plastics recycling process there is a down grading of application, more particularly if the plastics waste
items are coloured, printed or made up of multi layers of differing polymers, typically a crisp packet is a good
example of that one.
To explain in layman’s terms, when you recycle for example clean unprinted and non-coloured production
waste in a plastic processing facility, the material is as clean as possible never having left the production site
and remains uncontaminated with differing plastics even of the same type but different specification, may be
recycled by reforming with minimal heat and may be added to the virgin production as a small percentage.
If however the material has left the production facility for first use, then the material will have to be collected
and returned to a recycling facility where inevitably it is mixed with similar material of different specifications,
colours and printed materials.
It is impractical to separate all of these “common polymer types” that are collected and they are processed
together to produce what is known in the industry as “Jazz” pellets, multi colours of granules all mixed together.
Typically this type of material has Carbon Black added to it and manufactured into refuse sacks .... which will of
course end up in landfill.

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Lower grade material such as the purge from Refuse sack production can be reprocessed to a further lower
level to produce damp proof coursing and effectively locked into a structure, serving a good purpose for
many years, but will always remain.
The point I am trying to make is that recycling is not the great panacea, the volumes currently recycled have
insignificant impact on our Global problem.
Indeed it is fair to say that recycling does not solve the problem, merely postpones the time when it is
registered as a problem with all of the other existing plastics on the Planet.
The reality is that no one man, no single organisation, no Corporation, no Country, or indeed no Continent
acting in isolation can have the impact on the situation that must be addressed for the sake of mankind, our
future generations.
Political, religious and cultural differences must be put to one side for the common good of Humanity
Strong words, but strong words from us .... human beings.
A more optimistic outlook is now apparent, new technology is available albeit in infancy that I believe with
international Government support can grow quickly and with sufficient scale make a significant impact of the
looming disaster that is imminent if nothing is done, action must be taken without delay.
My concept is really quite simple, it is the way that it is enacted that will avail the maximum efficiency for
collection, initial processing, transportation and finally the means of extracting valuable energy recourses
from what is currently a potential ever increasing Global disaster.
The key problems are how do we collect the waste plastic from the Oceans, how do we transport the material
to land and most importantly what do we do with it when it returns to the land from which it originally
came.
There is currently extensive work being put into the process of Pyrolysis, a process that will avail gas, oil and
carbon from the plastics waste, principally returning the plastics to original constituent elements that can
then be used for much needed energy production.
No longer are we looking to “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”
... we are looking to “Regenerate”

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PYROLYSIS

Pyrolysis is a thermochemical treatment which can be applied to any organic (carbon-based) product. In this
treatment material is exposed to temperatures typically above 430°C and under pressure in the absence of
oxygen the material goes through chemical and physical separation into different molecules.
Using waste plastic as a feedstock through a process of thermal cracking or depolymerisation, produces biochar,
bio-oil and gas including methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
Pyrolysis offers a flexible and attractive way of converting solid biomass into an easily stored and transported
liquid, which can be successfully used to produce heat, power, and chemicals without using fossil carbon.
The efficiency and nature of the pyrolysis process is dependent on the particle size of feedstock due to the need
for rapid heat transfer through the particle.
The pyrolysis process is very dependent on the low level of moisture content of the feedstock which should be
less than 10%.
Our process machine will take the high moisture content plastic waste from the ocean and reduce the moisture
level to almost zero whilst producing a regular particle size of plastic chipping with a high density, the
elimination of moisture and a high density regular particle size are essential preparation of the plastic waste to
achieve the optimum output from the pyrolysis system.
The chosen system is likely to be a fast pyrolysis unit with typical yields of 60% bio-oil and takes seconds for
complete pyrolysis to occur. In addition, it would give 20% biochar and 20% syngas.
The Bio-oil is a dark brown dense liquid and can be upgraded to either a fuel for engines and turbines or
through gasification processes to a syngas and then bio-diesel.

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PYROLYSIS CAN BE CARRIED OUT
VIA THERMAL OR CATALYTIC
ROUTES.

Thermal pyrolysis produces low quality liquid oil and requires both a high temperature and retention time.
In order to overcome these issues, catalytic pyrolysis of plastic waste has emerged with the use of a catalyst.
It has the potential to convert 70–80% of plastic waste into liquid oil that has similar characteristics to
conventional diesel fuel.
Thus the liquid oil from catalytic pyrolysis is of higher quality and can be used in several energy- related
applications such as electricity generation, transport fuel and heating source.
The advantages of catalytic pyrolysis are as follows:
Viable polymer recycling process
Liquid products in motor engine fuel range
Drastic lowering of process temperature
Low energy demands
Light hydrocarbon formation
Elimination of Fuel Upgrading Process Stage.

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CONCEPT FOR OCEAN PLASTIC
WASTE COLLECTION

“I believe we have a concept and a unique piece of equipment that will tie the waste collection to efficient
processing at sea to manufacture mixed plastics chipping that will facilitate the most efficient delivery of plastics
waste to Pyrolysis facilities around the world”
“Twenty years ago we designed and constructed a machine specifically with the idea of mining plastic waste
from landfill sites. At the time we looked at the technology to manufacture plastic chipboard using mixed and
contaminated plastics, but unfortunately at that time we could not commercialise the products and the machine
was de-constructed”
“We now believe that our unique plastic chipping machine has a vital role in pinning the collection of plastics
waste to the pyrolysis process” ... Phil Hadley
A machine that was designed to accept and process severely contaminated mixed plastics waste in solid or film
format with due consideration of the knowledge that the contaminants may be pieces of wood, waste food,
particles of glass, used nappies, colostomy bags, sanitary ware etc ... principally, the worst case scenario.
The temperature within the process would drive off any excess moisture and render bacteria inert such that the
chipping can be safely stored and transported thereafter.
The equipment was designed to operate with minimal power input required to create a high density and regular
sized chipped material.
With energy efficiency in mind such features as to use the hot air from a generator exhaust as part of the process
were incorporated. Due consideration was also given to the harsh recovery environment and conveniently all
machine parts liable to wear and tear readily replaceable with minimal down time.
For now I am going to focus on the pollution within our Oceans, working on the principle that if we can
successfully address that problem, the mining of landfill sites for energy recovery is relatively simple, but with
time will result in a higher yield of available material currently dumped across Continents.
Now bear in mind that the chipping machine we are proposing is proven technology and was constructed to
operate in a confined area, we are confident that such a modular machine may be constructed in an open side
40-foot shipping container to be deployed anywhere there is a need around the Globe.
Similarly we consider that a number of these modular machine units could be put onto a ship such that the
waste is collected, densified and rendered safe for storage and transportation.
A Pyrolysis machine could also be put on the ship, such that a proportion of the waste collected could be
processed on board to provide the fuel to run the ship and provide energy via a generator to power the chipping
machines.

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COLLECTION AND TRASPORTATION
OF PLASTIC WASTE

The major hurdle is collection and transporting the waste plastics from source to a Pyrolysis facility.
To try and give an idea of the impact of processing as described on the ship as opposed to transporting the
collected waste, let us take for example the capacity of a 40-foot articulated trailer.
If we were to load the trailer with loose plastics as it is when extracted from the Ocean, we would not expect to
have more than 2 tonnes on board when the trailer is full.
If the material is baled and depending on the balers potential to compress the polymer we would expect to get
between 10 and 15 tonnes on a trailer.
The nature of the plastic waste likely to be extracted from the Ocean does not lend itself to efficient bailing ....
and why add an inefficient extra process.
In comparison to the above it is possible to get in excess of 24 tonnes of mixed plastics chipping on a 40-foot
articulated trailer.
More importantly the chippings are readily transportable with pneumatic conveyors and prepared in such
a way to effectively control the delivery of dry product to the Pyrolysis processing enabling tighter Pyrolysis
parameters to maximise the potential efficiencies.
Processed chippings can be moved from ship to ship so the plastics waste collection and processing can be
constantly maintained as the ship fitted with processing equipment can remain on site as processed materials are
taken to land in alternative bulk vessel.
When on land the chippings can be transported by pneumatic conveying and if the sites of the plastic waste
are in remote areas it is possible with additional pneumatic blower stations along the pipe line to transport the
chippings for miles across terrain that may not be best suited to lorries for transportation.

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POTENTIAL REVENUE FROM
PLASTICS WASTE

Clearly we have a situation that needs to be addressed and addressed quickly. As with all projects of this scale
the initial capital cost is substantial, however examining the scope and possibilities to recover oil and energy
from the waste plastics effectively turns a Global problem into a Global resource.
Based on information published we are able to estimate the potential amounts of plastic waste that can be
Regenerated and at a level that will have a significant impact on the current situation.
For the sake of clarity and recognising that cleaning the Oceans has to be the priority objective, we have
separated what we perceive as a revenue stream as from the sea from that potential revenue stream from the
land.
Based on published numbers we take the initial figure for waste plastic currently floating in our Oceans at
150,000,000 tonnes, with an additional 8,000,000 tonnes been added every year and assuming that level of
additional waste being dumped in the sea remains the same, although it is likely to increase based on past
trends, that would mean in 20 years’ time if nothing is done there will be 310,000,000 tonnes of plastics waste in
the Oceans.
To make what we consider an adequate impact and start the reduction of the amount of plastics waste in the
Ocean would require in the region of 15,000,000 tonnes of plastics being recovered from the sea per annum for
a period of 20 years, a substantial operation to recover 300,000 tonnes per week.
A massive undertaking, but again with information published or presented within the public domain we have
ascertained that an efficiently run Pyrolysis facility can extract as much as 800 litres of refined diesel oil from a
tonne of waste plastic along with the gas that can be redirected to a large degree so that the Pyrolysis process is
virtually self-perpetuating . The Carbon mass at the end of the process also has a value as it may be used for soil
remediation.
Just for the time being, let us focus on the revenue that may be extrapolated from the oil fraction of the Pyrolysis
process. Assuming that the figures we have established hold true on an ongoing basis then the extraction
and processing of the 300,000 tonnes of plastics waste from the Ocean per week has a potential to avail some
240,000,000 litres of refined diesel per week
Currently refined diesel having a value in US at $2.700 per US Gallon or $0.713 per litre, equating to a potential
sales revenue of in excess of $171,000 000 per week.
Alternatively we can take the view that the diesel oil produced is based on Crude oil value currently running
at $68 per barrel. 240,000,000 litres equates to 1,500,000 barrels per week with a potential sales revenue of
$102,000,000 per week, which is a gross revenue of.... $340 per tonne of plastic waste recovered.
Either way there is a significant financial contribution to be extracted from the ability to solve a liability and
avoid a Global disaster.

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“Because the people who are crazy enough to think they
can change the world are the ones who do”… Steve Jobs

Contact details
Stephen Guy-Clarke
Mobile: +44 7789 117058
E mail: [email protected]

Phil Hadley
Acedag Limited: +44 1889 586141

Mobile: +44 7836 657849
E mail: [email protected]

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