Ever imagined there would be a system that can convert plastic waste into crude oil? No? Well, you do not have to imagine it anymore. You will actually see it happening in the near future because accomplishing this is just what a proficient recycling team in Oregon has set its eyes on. The team hopes that when they have successfully implemented this project, the government would be able to take full advantage of it. Not only will there be a reduction in waste matter, there will also be an increase in the supply of crude oil.
The team has already been working on this project for 18 months. As of now, almost another year is left before completion. The good news is that the team has moved beyond the designing phase and is now in the testing phase. They have already developed a prototype and are now working on improving it. Due to the complexities involved, this is taking time but hopefully, the project will be completed in 2014.
The system cooks plastic and then converts it into gas. This gas is then condensed and the resulting product comprises of long chains of hydrocarbons. These organic chains can be transformed into diesel or any other fuel through an additional system. The costs incurred are over $5 million.
A member on the team stated that they are working on developing larger models that can produce increased amounts of fuel. By the time the project reaches completion, a single system would be capable of converting almost 40,000 pounds of plastic into 130 barrels of oil on a daily basis. Almost 10 pounds of plastic can produce a gallon of gas, which can then be transformed into oil in almost the same amount.
The conversion plants would actually be owned by trash companies, and they would have to handle all operations. The oil would be refined and improved by refiners, who would also have to produce usable products out of it once it has undergone treatment.
The Federal Environmental Protection Agency has analyzed that solid waste has increased at a rapid pace in the past few decades. It is time to come up with a solution before the environment is completely damaged and this idea of converting plastic into oil is golden indeed.
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