Ocean Purpose Project proposes the PTF (Plastic to Fuel) which converts ocean plastics using a combination of technology from top universities, designed for waste collected from coastlines to create high profit products such as Hydrogen which can power e-vehicles for a future Mandalaika E-GP and Carbon Nanotubes which can be used to make smartphones and expensive materials. We can integrate with existing Plastic to Fuel factories in Lombok or deploy our signature OPP PTF unit in a 40-foot container, over land or sea to any community facing ocean plastic pollution.

OPP’s plastic collection in Pasir Ris is sent to our research partners in West Singapore, NTU NEWRI (Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute) and several prototypes have been successfully developed to turn ocean plastics into low sulphur fuel following IMO2020 regulations, high value carbon nanotubes, and Hydrogen-enriched gas.

Ocean Purpose Project recently held the Race for Oceans event, participating among 50 countries for UN SDG 14: Life Below Water to kayak and collect plastic waste. The ocean plastics were sent to the PTF machines in November 2021 and the results were as follows: From 1 kg of plastics, around 120g of Carbon nanotubes are produced with a hydrogen mass of 18 g. At larger scale the numbers get even higher. Imagine the positive impact our solution could have in polluted coastlines and landfills by turning waste into highly valuable products.

Research places Indonesia as the 2nd marine plastic debris producer globally. The solution to this issue requires innovative infrastructure that treats waste as a resource to be monetised and benefit the entire community. An efficient and innovative solution is necessary to rid the country and the oceans of plastic waste pollution by implementing an effective solution that benefits both the environment and the economy. Mechanical recycling can only go so far- let’s turn ocean plastics into a high profit resources – carbon nanotubes and hydrogen!

Technical & economic impacts (1 tonne facility)

• Reduce plastic pollution in the ocean and thereby protecting the marine ecosystem
• 700kg of low sulphur fuel per day, valued at ~ SGD 400 which is produced with minimum electricity
• Produce 10 – 100 kg of CNTs/day. CNTs are marketable at a competitive price of SGD 100/kg
• Produce 11 – 14 kg of hydrogen gas/day. Hydrogen gas is marketable at a competitive price of SGD 2/kg
• Produce 50kg of carbon black/day. Carbon black is marketable at SGD 0.6/kg
• The byproducts of plastic pyrolysis (syngas) produced are not released into the atmosphere but are converted into high-value CNTs and hydrogen gas
• Development of the new business market for a PTF research base, training, and fuel yield optimization/carbon nanotube conversion
• Optimization of hydrogen gas from the PTF unit to maximise potential and to increase the profit in the millions of dollars

Social impact

• NGOs like us survive on donations. The OPP PTF unit can create a high profit product that allows us to self-fund community education, job creation and waste infrastructure.
• A smaller and simpler version of the PTF unit has been piloted in 2019 with the locals of Medang, Indonesia. This island used to receive 2-3 meters of plastic washed up on their shores every day. After the introduction of the machine, jobs were created to handle the machine, fisherman’s livelihoods were restored and people of all ages were actively contributing to this movement. The machine was producing 3 litres of fuel per day from 300kg of plastic waste. They turned their plastic pollution into almost free energy. This brought about job creation and reduced fuel costs.

The OPP PTF unit operates in two main business models- B2B sales of our products (Hydrogen, CNT etc), the infomediary, testing industry best in class PTF solutions in curated partnerships for CSR reasons and packaging the data for the industry. We have had enquiries for lease and sale of the machine which is only possible after extensive safety and regulatory checks in Singapore. OPP PTF Unit’s CNTs and pure hydrogen gas are game changers in the PTF industry, with demand ever increasing. OPP PTF units have great potential to generate plastic offset credits in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) Finance.

1. Sponsors

The OPP PTF unit promotes government objectives in the following categories:

• Plastic Offsets and Carbon Offsets
• Integrate into existing municipal waste systems

2. Petrochemical Companies

Petrochemical companies, eg. Shell can offtake OPP products, under a stringent certification process. OPP shares our research base especially around low sulphur fuels’ performance in marine environments and engines due to OPP’s robust environmental testing and standards certifications.

The OPP PTF unit operates in two main business models- B2B sales of our products (Hydrogen, CNT etc), the infomediary, testing industry best in class PTF solutions in curated partnerships for CSR reasons and packaging the data for the industry. We have had enquiries for lease and sale of the machine which is only possible after extensive safety and regulatory checks in Singapore. OPP PTF Unit’s CNTs and pure hydrogen gas are game changers in the PTF industry, with demand ever increasing. OPP PTF units have great potential to generate plastic offset credits in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) Finance. Sponsors The OPP PTF unit promotes government objectives in the following categories: Plastic Offsets and Carbon Offsets Integrate into existing municipal waste systems Petrochemical Companies Petrochemical companies, eg. Shell can offtake OPP products, under a stringent certification process. OPP shares our research base especially around low sulphur fuels’ performance in marine environments and engines due to OPP’s robust environmental testing and standards certifications.

Once the machine is available for sale and/or lease, the products will be sold in the market and our PTF education and research base will have been established. Yearly revenue streams are expected to reach SGD 6.02 million. This would allow us to break even in the third year of the project, and build PTF training capability and drive an industry-wide research base while creating jobs post COVID19.

Ocean Purpose Project’s PTF solution was selected and mentored among thousands to make the Top 5 startups in the Shell StartUp Engine Programme 2020 with Energy Market Singapore to pivot South East Asian countries towards chemical recycling that promotes a truly circular solution for ocean plastics, especially those with mixed mediums of paper and foils. Developing a best in class plastic to hydrogen solution that minimises air pollution, health and environmental risks while effectively turning polluted communities into “fuel stations” and fishermen into fishers of plastic who will educate PHDs about sustainable energy production is the long term vision of OPP. We are accredited sustainability trainers under Climate KIC in Europe and ACLP/ SkillsFuture in Singapore.

There are 2 possibilities of investment- the full 8.9M SGD for the OPP PTF unit or a smaller scale test of existing plastic to fuel factories with a hydrogen conversion integration. Education of PTF is also important to mobilise this new workforce at Mandalika.

Although this solution needs considerable investment, it creates a mobile Plastic to Hydrogen factory that can go anywhere, handle many kinds of plastics and make high value products. Investment is needed in our equipment and research capabilities to see this through to a fully fledged solution that can survive all the 10 New Balis in Indonesia, the first Plastic to Hydrogen mass deployment in the world. Addition benefits include:

• Development of new business market for PTF research base, training and fuel yield optimisation/carbon nanotube conversion
• Widespread behavioural change through OPP’s Plastic to Fuel education through music, sports, learning journeys and community cleanups
• Byproducts from plastic pyrolysis are not released into atmosphere but converted into high-value products such as CNTs, carbon black, oil and hydrogen gas with multiple uses

For more informations about us :

Ms. Mathilda D’Silva, CEO Ocean Purpose Project