Japanese machine converts plastic into oil



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The dangers of plastic are not new to most of us. A lesser known fact, however, is that plastic has a higher energy value than any other type of waste. To harness this energy while tackling the waste problem, Japanese company Blest has created a machine that converts several types of plastic into oil.


Rather than burning the plastic with a flame, which generates CO2, the machine uses a temperature-controlled electric heater to convert the plastic into raw gas, which can then be used to power household appliances made from it. gases like stoves, boilers and generators or, if refined, can even be pumped into a car or motorcycle. Small but highly efficient, the machine produces almost a liter of oil – gasoline, diesel or kerosine – from every kilogram of plastic, requiring just 1 kilowatt of electricity for conversion.

Although the machine currently only processes 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 applications. potential. Blest CEO Akinori Ito said there are currently more than 60 machines installed in farms, fisheries and small factories in Japan, as well as a handful overseas. They can be used for everything from converting waste left by tourists into petroleum, and feeding tour buses and boats, to feeding restaurant stoves with plastic from food packaging.

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Maria popova is the publisher of Brain Pickings, an organized inventory of interesting miscellaneous items. She writes for Wired UK, GOOD Magazine and Huffington Post, and spend a shameful time on Twitter.



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