MAELSTROM

The global marine plastic litter challenge comprises an estimated stock of 83 million tonnes of plastic waste accumulated in oceans. The recovery of plastic materials already in the ocean is an arduous and costly task. This is why innovations are urgently needed. The EU-funded MAELSTROM project is bringing together key stakeholders – from research centres and recycling companies to marine scientists and robotic experts – to leverage the integration of complementary technologies for the sustainable removal of marine litter in different European coastal ecosystems. The project will design, manufacture and integrate scalable, replicable and automated technologies, co-powered with renewable energy and second-generation fuel, to identify, remove, sort and recycle all types of collected marine litter into valuable raw materials.

Duration: 1 January 2021 - 31 December 2024