May 16, 2022
"Quick question" about the HMS Recyclo: the recycling raft from the TU Dresden is ready to cast off
"It's basically a pressed yellow sack," says Felix Dobritz about the research raft, which has been in Neustadt harbor since May 3rd after a successful maiden voyage. On June 7th, the HMS Recyclo will embark on her first research voyage across the Elbe to Magdeburg and collect valuable data on the condition of the river.
For almost three years, Felix Dobritz and Dr. Roman Maletz from the Institute for Waste Management and Circular Economy at the TU Dresden worked on the raft. They want to show that plastic waste in particular is not as bad as its reputation suggests, but can be processed in many different ways if there is a buyer: For example, into a frame for a research raft. In addition to the usual packaging waste, which was pressed into the desired shape in a special process, there are also hard plastic barrels from a car workshop for the necessary buoyancy and other reused materials such as old climbing ropes.
However, the voyage of the HMS Recyclo is not yet over with the successful acceptance of the raft by the Waterways and Shipping Authority and the maiden voyage from Pirna to Dresden on May 3rd. On June 7th, the raft, which was created in cooperation with the Department of Hydrosciences, will set off towards Magdeburg with two researchers on board. On the way they will take water samples and analyze them later. The isotopes found and other standard parameters then provide information about the condition of the body of water. She is particularly interested in the influence that the tributaries of the Elbe have on the river.
Felix Dobritz tells more about the research trip and the creation of the raft, the materials used, but also setbacks during the project in the current episode of the "Quickt Question", which was published today on the YouTube channel "Discover TU Dresden":
More information:
https://tu-dresden.de/bu/umwelt/hydro/iak/forschung/forschungsprojekte/forschungsfloss
Contact:
Felix Dobritz
Institute for Waste Management and Circular Economy
Dr. Roman Maletz
Institute for Waste Management and Circular Economy