MAN RECYCLES DISCARDED FISHING NETS INTO NYLON FILAMENTS FOR 3D PRINTING

Around the world, fishing nets are an essential equipment for fishermen. Unfortunately, though, a large number of them wind up polluting the oceans at worst and landfills at best. Ian Falconer was a man who had personally witnessed this. He was from Cornwall, UK, a region well-known for its booming fishing sector. He was devastated when he noticed abandoned nets in the port close to his house and decided to look for a solution.

Falconer, with his training in mining and environmental geology, devised a solution. After gathering the old nets, he and his crew shredded them, melted the plastic, and made nylon filaments for 3D printing. His culinary experiments led to the creation of 0rCA, an international organisation.

The 3D filament generated by 0rCA has been transformed into a wide assortment of goods, such as eyewear, buttons, razor blade handles, earrings, and even lamps. It can also be combined with leftover carbon fibre from the production of cars and aeroplanes to create components for electrical enclosures and racing motorcycles.

In more than 40 countries, 0rCA has raised $1.32 million in investment over its eight years of existence. As a result, Falconer has created equipment that can produce 45 pounds of nylon fishing nets into filament each hour. Additionally, it is straightforward to export and operate because all of the necessary equipment simply fits in a shipment container. The inventor claims that the carbon emissions from his recycling method are less than 3% of those from making new nylon.

This effort is essential to maintaining clean waters in addition to recycling items. A million tons of fishing nets are thrown away, according to Falconer. Their longevity is related to the function they fulfil. They are initially translucent blue, but with time, they develop an algal biofilm that gives them a hazy grey colour. Fish begin to avoid them as they become more noticeable, which leads to fewer catches. Furthermore, many landfill operators either don't want to take them or charge fishermen a lot to dispose of their spent fishing nets there because they can quickly become tangled, and they frequently can't afford to have them burned.

Falconer told Cornwall Live that instead of making the issue worse, the fishermen he has worked with are excited to be helping to find the solution by giving away their used fishing nets. He clarified, "They love that they can see where their nets are going." "Because they are out of sight and out of mind if they are simply going into a skip and then being transported off." They therefore adore the fact that they are doing it in their neighbourhood.

As of right now, nations including Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, South Africa, and Vietnam have shown interest in purchasing Falconer's technology, demonstrating how solving a local problem may lead to a worldwide solution. He told The Guardian that "you could have one of these in every harbour across the world, turning a costly and hazardous trash into a profitable raw commodity."