Plastic Odyssey
Plastic Odyssey is a three year expedition which aims to go around the world on a unique vessel powered solely by plastic waste recovered throughout the journey.
Simon Bernard is a young officer of the Merchant Navy and engine officer who used to cruise ships around South America, Africa and Asia. Simon saw the extent of plastic pollution and thought that the most efficient way to solve the problem was to convert it into a solution.
During a stopover in Dakar, he came up with the idea of designing a unique vessel that conceives simple solutions in order to reduce plastic pollution in the Ocean.
He launched his own odyssey in 2016 with his friend Alexandre Dechelotte, and their goal is to go around the world, (33 stopovers) between 2020 and 2023.
How It Works
The idea is to design and build an oceanographic 25m catamaran that transforms plastic waste into fuel using:
- A scanner inspired by infrared spectroscopy
- Extruder, presses and weavers to model plastic waste into furniture
- A pyrolysis unit stored onboard transforming plastic waste into fuel
What is Infrared Spectroscopy ?
Infrared spectroscopy is the analysis of infrared light interacting with a molecule in a fast and nondestructive way. It is used to determine functional groups in molecules.
Note: Stronger bonds and light atoms will vibrate at a high stretching frequency.
What is Plastic Pyrolysis ?
Pyrolysis is a chemical recycling method used to convert plastic waste into energy, in the form of solid, liquid and gaseous fuels. It is the thermal degradation of plastic waste at different temperatures, from 300 to 900°C in the absence of oxygen resulting in the release of gases and oils.
