On-board and port 3D printing to promote a maritime plastic circular economy

Abstract

Oceanic plastic pollution has become one of the most serious problems in terms of the environment, and Circular Economy (CE) strategies are being implemented to reduce it. The article presents the results of a diagnosis of plastic waste in the maritime sector and the use of 3D printing as an enabling technology of CE around plastic. Maritime industries were asked about their plastic waste generation and potential parts and components which could be replaced by equivalent parts made by 3D printing. To close the CE loop, these parts would be printed with filament from the maritime industries’ plastic waste. The article addresses this process of generating filament that enables the CE and how this printing process can be affected and corrected under on-board conditions. A polypropylene-based strapping tape waste was chosen to produce recycled filament. This filament resulted stiffer than the commercial filament and, through an additivation process, it achieved better flexural properties. Finally, the 3D printing process during on-board unstable conditions was improved by an automatic and electronic correction on the 3D printer machine itself.