Carnival Corporation Pilots Food Waste Bio-Digester Technology to Improve Environmental Compliance
The new innovation in green technology at sea provides a number of benefits, including:
- separating the small pieces of plastics and other debris that can occasionally find its way into food waste for sustained environmental compliance;
- providing more efficient and centralized onsite food waste operations;
- and enhancing onboard public health as well as reducing a ship's carbon footprint by automated and natural processing of food waste.
The bio-digesters reduce a ship's carbon footprint by using an aerobic digestion process that takes place within the machines and efficiently breaks down food particles, releasing a translucent, environmentally safe liquid. This limits the amount of greenhouse gas emitted from conventional food waste processing systems, helping reduce the company's environmental impact.
Currently being evaluated on 15 ships with 12 more ships scheduled in coming months across seven of the corporation's nine cruise line brands – Carnival Cruise Line,
Throughout the day, as food scraps are added to the system, a mix of microorganisms, including microbes and enzymes, rapidly and naturally digest the organic waste. The machines operate 24 hours a day, allowing for continuous food "digestion."
"Think of a food waste bio-digester as a large, stainless steel stomach that digests food waste – if you can feed it to people, you can feed it into a digester," said
Food waste bio-digesters are placed in strategic areas such as a ship's galley, allowing for more convenient and efficient food waste processing at the source. Bio-digesters in the pilot feature a screen filter at the bottom of each machine that captures any small plastics and other non-organic debris accidentally mixed with food waste, a feature that improves environmental compliance. The green technology also supports and enhances operations onboard, making it more efficient for crew members to manage and control food waste.
In 2017, the company achieved its 25% carbon reduction goal three years ahead of schedule, and is on track with its nine other 2020 sustainability targets for reducing its environmental footprint while enhancing the health, safety and security of its guests and crew members, and ensuring sustainable business practices among its nine brands, business partners and suppliers.
The company has used other complementary technologies to achieve ecological advantages – including launching the world's first-ever cruise ships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), pioneering the use of Advanced Air Quality Systems on board its ships and promoting the use of shore power.
Added Anderson: "All of these efforts are part of our deep commitment to promoting safety, environmental protection and overall compliance."
About Carnival Corporation & plc
Together, the corporation's cruise lines operate 105 ships with 254,000 lower berths visiting over 700 ports around the world, with 16 new ships scheduled to be delivered through 2025. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges,
With a long history of innovation and providing guests with extraordinary vacation experiences,
Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com, www.princess.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.seabourn.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.costacruise.com, www.aida.de, www.pocruises.com, and www.cunard.com.
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SOURCE
Carnival Corporation Media Contacts: Roger Frizzell, Carnival Corporation, rfrizzell@carnival.com, (305) 406-7862; Mike Flanagan, LDWW, mike@ldwwgroup.com, (727) 452-4538