Using ocean plastic waste to create, through 3D printing, eco-innovative components that can be reused by the maritime industry itself, being able to manufacture them in just a few minutes, both in port facilities and on board a ship. This is the philosophy behind the European project CircularSeas, a work financed with nearly two million euros of FEDER funds and in which the Systems Engineering and Automation research group of the University of Vigo, directed by professor of the School of Industrial Engineering Julio Garrido, participates as a partner.
The presentation of the project brought together this morning in the Miralles building a good representation of all the parties involved, not only from the university community, but also from the rest of the organizations that, for some months now, have been collaborating in this research and that include the Vigo Port Authority, a key player in the development of this work, and the Galician Institute for Economic Promotion, Igape. Garrido was in charge of explaining the details of the project and, alongside him, the vice-rector for Transfer, Consuelo Pérez; the director of the UVigo Marine Research Center and the Campus do Mar, Daniel Rey; the head of the Environment of the Port of Vigo, Alberto Jaraiz, and the general director of Igape, Juan Manuel Cividanes. All of them highlighted the great expectations that CircularSeas arouses in the naval and port industry, not in vain, if the expected results are achieved, it would contribute to mitigating one of the biggest problems that society currently faces and which refers to the pollution of the sea by microplastics. “If once these microplastics are removed, they can be given added value and even help solve any mechanical problems that may arise on a boat, this undoubtedly has a very high value,” emphasized the vice-chancellor for Transfer.
CircularSeas’ main objective is to promote the green economy through the creation of products, parts and components created from plastic waste collected by ships during their campaigns or derived from the main maritime industries: fishing, auxiliary fishing and aquaculture; shipyards and port management, and also nautical sports. “It’s about using those plastics that are no longer being used, which are residual, and giving them value, studying how to prepare them so that, using 3D printing, they can be re-used in the same maritime-port environment,” explained Garrido.
Eight partners from five countries
Eight partners from five countries are participating: Spain, France, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Ireland, a total of six ports involved. It is led by the Basque research center Leartiker, belonging to the Basque Science and Technology Network, specialized in innovation in polymer technology. “From there they contacted us so that we would take charge, above all, of the part that has to do with the development of new machines, especially those that require precise control of trajectories and the optimization of automated processes”, explained Garrido, thus emphasizing that the Vigo part of the project will focus, above all, on the development of new advanced machinery systems for the manufacture of plastic components.
Data collection in ports is almost complete
There are two well-defined phases in the project. The first, in which all partners are already involved, is common to the six participating nodes and consists of carrying out field work. In this phase, each node is contacting companies and institutions in the maritime/port sector, collecting information through visits and surveys. Once a selection of waste revalorization cases has been made, they will work with the rest of the nodes on the adaptation of printers and the development of new equipment that adapts to the plastics and the 3D printing process required, as well as on its optimization. “Each node has already been assigned a specific part of the study from the beginning. In our case it is on-board manufacturing, that is to say, the intelligent adaptation of the trajectories of a machine -whose work involves making precise movements- to the conditions on board, taking 3D printing as a specific case study”, emphasized the person responsible for the project in Vigo.
Vigo will host several thematic workshops and the final conference of the project
Although the Systems and Automation Engineering Group is the only Galician participant, the high interest in this work has already led to them receiving numerous offers of collaboration, both from other research groups at the University itself and from technological centers, including the CSIC and the Vigo Oceanographic Center. In this sense, Garrido explained that over the coming months different thematic workshops will be held “in which we will undoubtedly ask them to participate as experts in different areas of the project: economy, sustainability, materials, etc.,” Garrido indicated during the presentation, to which he also added that the final results presentation conference will also be in Vigo in March 2022.
Multiple commercial examples demonstrate the viability of the project
A creación de novos produtos a partir de residuos plásticos non é algo novo e noutros sectores hai xa múltiples experiencias neste sentido. Quizás o téxtil é un dos máis activos neste momento. “Existen xa marcas comerciais que fan as súas prendas con este tipos de residuos, e incluso con residuos plásticos exclusivamente do mar. No calzado tamén se poden encontrar exemplos”, explica o responsable en Vigo do proxecto, quen recalcou que a diferencia principal que achega CircularSeas é que se centra no proceso de impresión 3D. “Esta opción non é a mellor para a produción en masa, aínda que si é, sen dúbida, a que permite máxima adaptabilidade”, recalcou Garrido.
Source: DUVI
