Get Green Challenge: Tim Johnson

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

Giant Floating LandfillsGiant Floating Landfills

Is Is AnotherAnotherMan’s TreasureMan’s Treasure

One One Man’sMan’s

Floating Landfills in Our Floating Landfills in Our OceansOceans• North Pacific Subtropical GyreNorth Pacific Subtropical Gyre

– A slowly moving, clockwise A slowly moving, clockwise spiral of currents created by a spiral of currents created by a high-pressure system of air high-pressure system of air currents.currents.

– The area is an The area is an oceanic desertoceanic desert, , filled with tiny phytoplankton filled with tiny phytoplankton but few big fish or mammals. but 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 To a depth of 30 metersmeters

• Totals over Totals over 7,000,000 tons!7,000,000 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 Objects start near coasts and end in gyregyre

Plastic Is ForeverPlastic Is Forever

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

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

• Small bits are called Small bits are called nurdlesnurdles

Nurdles are Chemical Nurdles are Chemical SpongesSponges• Nurdles get sucked up by Nurdles get sucked up by

filter feeders and damage filter feeders and damage their bodies. their bodies.

• Ingesting plastic creates Ingesting plastic creates deadly blockagesdeadly blockages

• Hormone poisoning for Hormone poisoning for brain activity and brain activity and reproductionreproduction– 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 Poison-filled masses threaten the entire food threaten the entire food chainchain– Deadlier at the top of the Deadlier at the top of the

food chainfood chain• Poison concentrates the Poison concentrates the

higher up the food chain higher up the food chain you go you 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 an inflated volleyball, half

covered in gooseneck barnacles;covered in gooseneck barnacles;• a plastic coat hanger with a a plastic coat hanger with a

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

nineteen-inch TV;nineteen-inch TV;• an inflated truck tire mounted on an inflated truck tire mounted on

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

glass, fishing floats;glass, 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 and a menacing medusa of

tangled net lines and hawserstangled net lines and hawsers

It Gets WorseIt Gets Worse

• There are five such gyres on Earth, There are five such gyres on Earth, not just one!not 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 Waste to Energy is the SolutionSolution• GasificationGasification

– process that converts process that converts carbonaceous carbonaceous materials, such as materials, such as plastics into syngas, a plastics into syngas, a fuel.fuel.

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

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

Current Waste To Energy Current Waste To Energy SuccessSuccess• Waste Management Waste Management

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

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

• Together, plants have Together, plants have the capacity to process the capacity to process more than 21,000 tons more than 21,000 tons of waste per day. of 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 Option A: Transport to land-based plantplant

• Option B: Process on specially built Option B: Process on specially built factory shipsfactory ships

BenefitsBenefits

• Cleaner oceansCleaner oceans

• More plankton for More plankton for wildlifewildlife

• Fewer poisons in Fewer poisons in foodchainfoodchain

• Less ocean dumping Less ocean dumping as waste to energy as waste to energy grabs holdgrabs hold

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

• Ease stressed power Ease stressed power grids in Southwest grids in Southwest USA and around the USA and around the globeglobe

• 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.cwww.MidasManagementConsulting.comom