Recovery and transformation of waste from the ocean floor

The SeaRubbish2Cap project aims to recover plastic waste from the ocean floor and to create a closed-loop circular economy system that allows the reuse of this waste in new products and, in this way, generate a positive and economic impact on the environment. all stakeholders in the marine-maritime sector.

This incentive will arise through the creation of a new market where local fisheries agents can operate and sell marine plastic waste to the industry or other interested parties. Research and development activities will focus on the processes for cleaning and recovering materials and their transformation into materials with commercial format (granules) and on the development of a smartphone application that will allow the creation of registration and geolocation of lost fishing gear.

SeaRubbish2Cap will remove 5 tons of plastic waste from the coast of Peniche and demonstrate the transformation into 2.5 tons of value-added products for the plastics sector.

The consortium made up of 3 national companies (Neutroplast, JustDive, and Bitcliq) and PIEP as a representative of the national scientific and technological system, will generate new knowledge in an open-access regime to enhance the dissemination and replication of business models created in national territory and by the EEA Grants donor countries (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein).

The SeaRubbish2Cap project won the Inova+ Award in the Business Excellence category, in the area of ​​sustainability of natural resources and ecosystems.

Project financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, through the Blue Growth Program of the EEA Grants.