“Plasmare”: Floating platform for the treatment and conversion of solid waste

The project has been conceived and promoted by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri through its centre for applied research Cetena (Centre for Advanced Studies into Naval Technologies).

Fincantieri announced that the company wished to create a new product line and illustrated the technological solutions which, via Cetena, is currently studying: floating platforms with plant for the production of fuel from waste thereby recovering energy, ships for the transport of solid municipal waste collected from islands or other areas poor road infrastructure, and ships with plant to sort waste and produce fuel from waste to be transferred from port to port.

The “Plasmare” project, which is at an advanced stage, provides for the construction of two floating platforms – which are not self-propelled – to be positioned in “protected” waters: the first would receive solid municipal waste and produce fuel from waste (treatment of approximately 400 tons a day of solid municipal waste), while the second would have a gasification system for the same product by using plasma technology which can recover energy from the synthesis gas.  As the plant technologies used are at different stages of development a modular approach has been suggested for the project with construction of the platform for the production of fuel from waste in the near future followed by a second stage when the platform with the plasma plant will be added as this requires a longer time frame to set up.  These technologically advanced platforms would exploit space available at sea thus helping decongest areas on shore now used for landfills which are often in limited supply and entail serious logistical problems.