PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (TSX:PYR, NASDAQ:PYR) has said its Plasma Arc Waste Destruction System (PAWDS) is in operation on the newly-launched USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier that departed the Naval Station Norfolk on October 4, 2022, for its initial deployment.
The ship - the first of four carriers the US Navy contracted to have the PAWDS system on board - will spend the next two months in both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean as part of a multi-national exercise with eight other countries, including Canada and France, to prepare the crew for real-world scenarios.
PAWDS is a compact all-electric waste management system for combustible waste, designed for each of the first four Ford-class aircraft carriers scheduled to be built - the first new generation of carriers designed in 40 years. It eliminates more than 400 pounds of diverse trash material per hour, including the plastic that traditional ship waste systems could not destroy.
"The initial deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford with our PAWDS on board is truly a milestone for PyroGenesis," said P. Peter Pascali, CEO and chair of PyroGenesis in a statement. "To be even a small part of the most technologically-advanced ship ever built is immensely validating - for the company, for the science behind the project, and for the years of work by our team."
READ: PyroGenesis Canada says negotiation for system to destroy PFAs suspended and discontinued
The payment being made of around C$1 million (US$729,000) comes as a result of various inspection and support milestones having been reached with respect to the dual ship order for the USS Enterprise and USS Doris Miller, which the company is currently under contract for.
The next aircraft carrier in the Gerald R. Ford Class to utilize the PAWDS system will be the USS John F. Kennedy, which has been under design since 2009, and under construction since 2011.
The USS John F. Kennedy is scheduled for delivery to the US Navy in June 2024. PyroGenesis has already delivered the PAWDS system for this ship.
PyroGenesis has been contracted for a total of four systems - one for each of four aircraft carriers. Two have been delivered (USS Gerald R. Ford and USS John F. Kennedy), and two are currently under order (the USS Enterprise and USS Doris Miller).
The USS Enterprise began construction in 2017 with a future delivery date of 2028, while the USS Doris Miller will follow.
Compact all-electric waste management system
PAWDS reduces all the ship's trash - plastic, paper, food, and wood - to vapor, a key aspect, as without a waste destruction system of this caliber, the ship would be forced to reduce operations, returning to port to off-load trash.
PyroGenesis Canada is a leader in the design, development, manufacture and commercialization of advanced plasma processes and sustainable solutions which reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) and are economically attractive alternatives to conventional "dirty" processes.
PyroGenesis has created proprietary, patented and advanced plasma technologies that are being vetted and adopted by multiple multibillion-dollar industry leaders in four massive markets: iron ore pelletization, aluminum, waste management, and additive manufacturing.
With a team of experienced engineers, scientists and technicians working out of its Montreal office, and its 3,800 square meters and 2,940 square meters manufacturing facilities, PyroGenesis maintains its competitive advantage by remaining at the forefront of technology development and commercialization.
Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com