As editor of The Plastiki isn't just raising awareness of marine debris, it's also helping to publicize, and commercialize, a new composite sheet made out of recycled PET.
The Plastiki -- the boat made out of PET soda bottles that David de Rothschild is sailing from San Francisco to Australia -- managed to get a plug today for the composite sheet product.
The plug came from The New York Times Green blog.
Blogger Sindya N. Bhanoo writes that "after 38 continuous days at sea, the crew anchored at Christmas Island on April 27 for a few days' rest before the next leg, a 20- to 30-day voyage to Fiji." While the crew is in port, he traded emails with skipper Jo Royle, and put together a Q&A interview for the blog.
The plug? It comes in Royle's answer to this question: "Did you have any harrowing moments in those 38 days sailing the Pacific?"
We have arrived after sailing for nearly 40 days across some of the most remote ocean in the world with no visual fatigue in the super structure of the Plastiki. This is a great achievement for the project and proves that Seretex -- a fully recyclable self reinforced PET [polyethylene terephthalate] -- is a smart material to replace the use of more toxic and less recyclable plastics used to manufacture anything from garden furniture to bus stops to the interior of cars. The Plastiki is the first product to be built from Seretex.
Seretex didn't ring a bell with me, so I did some checking.
This web site describes it as Seretex srPET, short for self reinforced PET, "a revolutionary product that will change the way we build composite structures. This replacement for typical fiberglass/epoxy products is much safer and easier to work with. It can be made from 100% recycled content and can then be recycled again at the end of it's life. Your next tennis racket or pair of skis might be derived from drink bottles and when you are done with them recycled again into a jacket or sweater. This is the future, be part of it."
This earlier Plastics Blog post included a video that featured the Seretex material, although the story doesn't mention the material by name. The material is created by taking a polyester fabric made from recycled PET, applying heat and pressure, to create a rigid board.
I'm sure we'll hear more about Seretex after the Plastiki completes its voyage to Australia. Interesting that SmarterPlanet LLC is apparently using this eco-focused voyage to prove the durability of a recycled-content product.
Comments (3)
While I applaud the concept of "The Plastiki" and wish everyone well with the project, it seems that a there may be one or a number of problems associated with this project.
30 years ago we might have said they are smoking to much fibre, more recently they may be affected by plastic fumes, the GPS might need recalibrating, they are lost or the whole thing is a fraud.
I seriously doubt they were resting at Christmas Island as it is in the wrong Ocean and the Australian Authorities are likely to send them back to Sri Lanka or Afghanistan very quickly.
I hope they find out where they are very soon.
Posted by Professor Daddabha Jataka | May 7, 2010 8:48 PM
Posted on May 7, 2010 20:48
After further examination it appears that I am wrong in my earlier comment.
There are, it appears, two Christmas Islands, one in the Pacific Ocean and one in the Indian Ocean.
Just shows you can never do too much research.
Posted by Professor Daddabha Jataka | May 14, 2010 8:47 PM
Posted on May 14, 2010 20:47
This product is not invented by Seretex, but by Comfil.
I normally don't write internet post about our products, but in my capacity as a plant manager at Comfil ApS, Denmark I find it necessary to point out that we are supplying these materials (srPET fabrics) for the Plastiki, and although quite novel, we have been making it for the last 3 years or so.
We just aren't making a bigg fuzz about it.
We also supply fully consolidated plates of our own srPET fabrics, marked as COMFIL - P, products.
http://www.comfil.biz/products/new-products/self-reinforced-plastics/srpet.php
For further information and other SRP's, there is also the ESPRIT project, where Comfil is a vital partner
http://www.espritproject.eu/
Posted by Tore Bak | August 19, 2010 4:07 AM
Posted on August 19, 2010 04:07