The research project CLEAN – an industry-led network of companies and scientific institutions – is working on how anaerobic technology can[ds_preview] be energy-efficiently tested, further developed and established on board cruise ships.
Engineers from Carnival Maritime and Martin Membrane Systems cooperate with scientists from the Institute for Urban Water Management and Waste Technology at the University of Hanover and the training center Hohen Luckow to test innovative approaches to establish anaerobic technology on board cruise ships. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy supports the research and development project with financial support for three years.
The project aims to produce biogas and thus a renewable source of energy at simultaneously recycling organic waste in an environmentally friendly fashion. »Having engaged in research project CLEAN, we hope for innovative, sustainable solutions, especially with regard to the generation and use of organic waste on board. At the same time, the residual quantities to be disposed of are to be significantly reduced again,« says Christoph Schladör, Head of Technical Projects at Carnival Maritime. So far, the research work focussed on environmentally friendly disposal of organic waste. With the new project, organic residues on cruise liners, especially in the form of leftovers, flotation and sewage sludge, are now being treated for the first time in such a way that they can be used as biogas. »The wastewater treatment and waste treatment is again significantly improved. For us this is an additional incentive to participate in the research project,« he emphasizes.
The participating scientific partners are doing important preparatory work for the design of the process technology to be tested. This includes a detailed analysis of organic residues accumulating on board and, based on this, laboratory and semi-technical investigations of the reactor design.
»The organic substrates on board are very heterogeneous and even new substrates are added, such as the flotates from the kitchen wastewater treatment. Therefore, the experience of land systems cannot be transferred to the ship system,« explains Kai Schumüller, who will work on the project at the University of Hanover.
The preliminary investigations are followed by a test of the system technology on board an AIDA cruise ship in order to demonstrate the technical feasibility.
