Plastic has been called the child of the past, peril of the present and the Grim reaper of the future. We have been using the new found material for quite long time that it has become irreplacable. But, it have always been the wrong path. Now this Japanese company Blest has taken a small step in setting things right.
Rather than burning the plastic using flame, which generates CO2, the machine uses a temperature-controlled electric heater to convert plastic into crude gas, which can then be used to power gas-based household appliances like stoves, boilers and generators or, if refined, can even be pumped into a car or motorcycle. Small yet highly efficient, the machine produces nearly one liter of oil – gasoline, diesel or kerosine – from every kilogram of plastic, requiring only 1 kilowatt of electricity for the conversion.
Though the machine currently processes only plastic class 2, 3 and 4 (polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene) and not class 1 (PET bottles), it still offers a remarkable solution to a serious problem and has many potential applications. Blest CEO Akinori Ito says there currently over 60 machines installed at farms, fisheries and small factories in Japan as well as a handful abroad. They can be used for everything from converting trash left behind by tourists into oil to power tour busses and boats to powering restaurant kitchen stoves with plastic from food packaging.
Yet, we cannot be sure how much this machine might be used in this “not-so-recycle-friendly World”. Here is a video showcasing the machine.
Source: Big think