The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is the largest of a series of huge patches of floating debris currently clogging the world's oceans. These swirling gyres, circular ocean currents, are piles of floating garbage: mostly plastics, chemical sludge, and other debris.

The exact size of the Pacific Trash Vortex is unknown, but estimates range from an area the size of Texas to one larger than the continental United States. So far, governments, environmentalists and technologists have not offered an effective solution to this floating problem.

However, a potentially effective and relatively inexpensive solution, exists: a process called the Fischer-Tropsch Process , a well-proven technology that has been employed for 90 years. The process takes biomass and other feedstock (such as plastic) and converts it into oil. The process requires temperatures of around 500 degrees and about an hour to convert the floating waste material into oil.

This effort would require an oil tanker large enough to carry a reactor capable of performing the necessary processes and the capacity to store the converted oil. Due to the current global economic crisis, there are hundreds of oil tankers not in use and available at very low rates. Tankers that generally cost $50K per day are now going for as little as $5K per day.

These tankers could employ large cantilevered booms, similar to those used by huge fishing vessels, to scoop up the plastics garbage, shove it into the reactor and convert it to oil. The ship can use some of the oil for propulsion, the rest would be stored in huge on-board tanks.

This technology is definitely worthy of further research to determine whether the technology and engineering is feasible. And whether the project could support itself and even show enough of a profit to make the effort financially worthwhile. And whether there are any agencies, organizations, environmentalists or philanthropists with finances sufficient for the effort are interested.

More Info:

Fischer-Tropsch Process: CLICK HERE

Tankers available:CLICK HERE

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