Converting Plastics to Fuel
New Technology & Chemical Process Developed at Purdue Converts Plastics to Fuel
2050 Forecast: Global Oceans with More Plastics than Fish
The world is awash in discarded plastic. In the past 65 years, 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced. Only 9% have been recycled and 12% incinerated. The rest is in the ocean and landfills. The World Economic Forum forecasts that by 2050, world oceans will hold more plastic than fish. A team of engineers at Purdue University have invented a technology to turn those numbers around and convert plastics into clean fuel.
New Clean Fuel from Waste Plastics
The technology uses hydrothermal liquefaction. It works by converting the plastic materials to oil by heating them at moderate temperatures under pressure. The Purdue team used common plastic waste such as polyolefin and converted 91% of it to oil. The oil created is a clean fuel source and could replace 4% of standard diesel fuel used annually. The new technology produced other valuable products such as polymers and naphtha.
More Profitable Recycling and Reducing Plastic Waste
The Purdue team believes their new innovation can boost profits for the recycling industry and shrink global plastic waste which is choking planet earth.
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| Source: NOAA - Albatross Amid Waste Plastic |
The world is awash in discarded plastic. In the past 65 years, 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced. Only 9% have been recycled and 12% incinerated. The rest is in the ocean and landfills. The World Economic Forum forecasts that by 2050, world oceans will hold more plastic than fish. A team of engineers at Purdue University have invented a technology to turn those numbers around and convert plastics into clean fuel.
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| Purdue Chemical Engineering Prof. Linda Wang Converting Plastic to Clean Fuel |
The technology uses hydrothermal liquefaction. It works by converting the plastic materials to oil by heating them at moderate temperatures under pressure. The Purdue team used common plastic waste such as polyolefin and converted 91% of it to oil. The oil created is a clean fuel source and could replace 4% of standard diesel fuel used annually. The new technology produced other valuable products such as polymers and naphtha.
More Profitable Recycling and Reducing Plastic Waste
The Purdue team believes their new innovation can boost profits for the recycling industry and shrink global plastic waste which is choking planet earth.
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