Plastic bags have been the enemy of environmentalists for pretty much as long as they have existed. Not only are they made from oil, but they clog our landfills for hundreds of years. Many cities, states and countries have banned plastic bags altogether, but for most of the world, they'll be hanging around for a while longer.
In an attempt to deal with the millions and millions of plastic bags used every year, Japanese inventor Akinori Ito has created a machine that can turn plastic bags into fuel in a carbon negative process. The machine, which is now being sold by the inventor's Blest Corporation, heats the plastic and traps the vapors in a system of pipes, where the vapors are cooled and condensed into crude oil. The crude oil can be used in generators and even some stoves, but with one more refining step, it can be used in gasoline.
The very efficient machine can process two pounds of plastic (including polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene) into a quart of oil using only one kilowatt of electricity.
Obviously, once the fuel is burned, it will release CO2 into the atmosphere, but it's allowing the oil that created the plastic to be used twice instead of just once and then sent to a landfill. That cuts down on the amount of oil we need to extract and keeps plastic out of landfills.
The machine is meant for households, but it currently costs $10,000, which is pretty steep. Ito hopes that the cost of the machine will drop as production increases.
via CleanTechnica
Image via Blest Corporation
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Comments (20)
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written by Sunnking Electronics Recycling, February 14, 2011
Cool concept, but I have a few questions. How long does it take to process 2 lbs of plastic? Is there any byproducts or waste generated as a result of extracting the oil? I like where this is going and look forward to seeing updates!
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written by Robbert, February 14, 2011
Though I'd love to see the big pile of plastic disappear. I'm afraid that this will give the industry a perverse incentive to continue producing plastic bags.
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written by Jacqui MacNeill (Escents Aromatherapy Wellness), February 14, 2011
What a great idea for re-using plastic bags. It's good to see that people are still trying to come up with new ways to help the environment.
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written by Energy Efficient Home, February 14, 2011
Now that is a pretty awesome invention. 10,000 is quite expensive but when you consider how much a laptop used to cost we can dream of using this in our households in about 10 years from now.
However, I think that this must be applied especially in big recycling plants.
However, I think that this must be applied especially in big recycling plants.
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written by Carl Hgae, February 14, 2011
Burning a bag can be used to generate energy, but it isn't carbon negative-- it is releasing fossil CO2 used to make the bag into the atmosphere. There are many schemes in development to capture CO2 from the air (or a power plant smokestack) and bury it. Just burying a plastic bag in a landfill is pretty much the same as trying to capture and sequester CO2-- so why not just bury it? It's not as bad as it might seem.
If the plastic was made from biomass, then burning it would be carbon neutral. But we shouldn't think of using fossil derived products twice as somehow eliminating it's CO2 emissions. (By the same token, growing algae from coal plant emissions doesn't "clean" the CO2 from the stack.)
If the plastic was made from biomass, then burning it would be carbon neutral. But we shouldn't think of using fossil derived products twice as somehow eliminating it's CO2 emissions. (By the same token, growing algae from coal plant emissions doesn't "clean" the CO2 from the stack.)
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written by hanss, February 14, 2011
it's actually 1kw/hr in the document, not 1 kw, but it stresses that it varies a lot due to different types of plastic. Moreover, they're not clear how much oil that produces...less than a kg since that's the maximum capacity of the machine. Petroleum has a total energy of about 12.5kwhr per kg, pretending you can somehow get 100% conversion, and the other refining machine they sell has even higher energy cost to produce refined gasoline. The bottom line is that you're not getting very much energy out of this process. cool idea though.
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written by Mike, February 15, 2011
This thing is a disaster:
1. It is inefficiently using electricity to fractionate the plastic. It is inefficient because it is small-scale.
2. It is releasing CO2 into the atmosphere that otherwise would be buried in the ground out of harm's way. Worse, the process of refining the plastic is releasing CO2.
3. Just what kind of "oil" is produced? Is it something that you can put in your car (highly unlikely), is it something which someone will be willing to purchase off you (unlikely due to the very small scale of the refinery).
The simplest solution is to ban the use and sale of plastic bags made from non-renewable ingredients. Leave the existing plastic bags in landfills until a large-scale system can be developed to re-process the plastic, and finally, do not burn the re-processed plastic, rather transform it into new plastic which could be used for structural engineering, coastal dykes etc.
1. It is inefficiently using electricity to fractionate the plastic. It is inefficient because it is small-scale.
2. It is releasing CO2 into the atmosphere that otherwise would be buried in the ground out of harm's way. Worse, the process of refining the plastic is releasing CO2.
3. Just what kind of "oil" is produced? Is it something that you can put in your car (highly unlikely), is it something which someone will be willing to purchase off you (unlikely due to the very small scale of the refinery).
The simplest solution is to ban the use and sale of plastic bags made from non-renewable ingredients. Leave the existing plastic bags in landfills until a large-scale system can be developed to re-process the plastic, and finally, do not burn the re-processed plastic, rather transform it into new plastic which could be used for structural engineering, coastal dykes etc.
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written by Matt, February 15, 2011
When I read it was for the home market I have to question if it is even for real. Even at 100th the cost, how many bags to you get in a year. So you are going to make a couple of quarts of oil. What are you going to do with it? And please don't say its a great weed killer.
From a energy stand point it might be better to recycle the plastic into plastic feed stock. But maybe they will get to a useful point at some point in the future.
From a energy stand point it might be better to recycle the plastic into plastic feed stock. But maybe they will get to a useful point at some point in the future.
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written by Seamus Dubh, February 15, 2011
This can be useful.
Regardless of the co2 issues that people have with this, I'd rather see this and other reclamation methods of our waste than just burying it.
"Out of sight, out of mind" is not an option anymore or to begin with.
Regardless of the co2 issues that people have with this, I'd rather see this and other reclamation methods of our waste than just burying it.
"Out of sight, out of mind" is not an option anymore or to begin with.
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written by Jean, February 15, 2011
If this could work out it would definitely help to recycle pesky plastic bags that are floating around out there. I say use canvas grocery bags!!!! I just bought an eco backpack from the eco direct store and it works perfectly. As for plastic bottles I just purchased a bobble! There are so many options we need to people aware of the harm plastic and plastic litter does.
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written by Asaf Shalgi, February 17, 2011
Getting rid of plastic for fuel sounds good to me.
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written by Carrie, February 18, 2011
Made a bit larger it would be great for cruise ships and recycling centers.
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written by S.R. Morbley, February 20, 2011
In Washington D.C. There is a company that has been
named one of the 10 most enovative companies in the
country.
The company is named Envion. This companies idea is
to take disposed and waste plastic bottles and process
them into transportation fuel. The company is small
now but I have visited their office in Georgetown and
it gives me the assurance that it will grow into a
major industry. Here is another example of where waste
into energy will be a major industry theme in the coming century. It not only provides for a growing need for energy this will cut down on the stress to
the environment. It's companies and industries such
as these that I keep a watch on in waiting for them
to become IPO. In an earlier comment I pointed out
how companies such as Waste Management has an added
agenda their business. These companies will be the
source of raw materials for the garbage/waste plastics
into energy industry. I regularly buy into Waste Management.
Who would believe that trash collecting could be the
key to such issues as the developement to new energy
sources that would slash our dependency on foreign oil
without tapping into the food chain while offering a means to restore the environment?
It's as if the answer was always under our noses.
named one of the 10 most enovative companies in the
country.
The company is named Envion. This companies idea is
to take disposed and waste plastic bottles and process
them into transportation fuel. The company is small
now but I have visited their office in Georgetown and
it gives me the assurance that it will grow into a
major industry. Here is another example of where waste
into energy will be a major industry theme in the coming century. It not only provides for a growing need for energy this will cut down on the stress to
the environment. It's companies and industries such
as these that I keep a watch on in waiting for them
to become IPO. In an earlier comment I pointed out
how companies such as Waste Management has an added
agenda their business. These companies will be the
source of raw materials for the garbage/waste plastics
into energy industry. I regularly buy into Waste Management.
Who would believe that trash collecting could be the
key to such issues as the developement to new energy
sources that would slash our dependency on foreign oil
without tapping into the food chain while offering a means to restore the environment?
It's as if the answer was always under our noses.
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written by Adrian V, February 23, 2011
Sorry, but this invention is not an eco one: I assume we all wish that most of the remaining fossil fuels don´t get burned in the first place. Plastic is certainly not nice to have around, but at least it sequesters for a long time the oil it is made of. In fact, it seems to me that using oil for producing long-lasting reusable plastic (e.g. for gardening, farming, housekeeping purposes) is a good alternative to burning it. But turning plastic into fuel is ultimately just as bad as burning fossil-oil based fuel directly in your car. Also, this way of reuse will help fossil oil be in use for a longer time.
Instead of burning the plastic it should be either recycled - to become usable plastic again - or just be stored in a way that does no harm to the environment.
What do YOU think?
Instead of burning the plastic it should be either recycled - to become usable plastic again - or just be stored in a way that does no harm to the environment.
What do YOU think?
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written by TJ, February 24, 2011
hhmmm saying the machine can recycle plastic bags is all well and good but wouldn't it take quite a bit of work/resources to emptying the bags of its contents cleaned and then process them. Remember they aren't all piled up neatly ready to be recycled.
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written by Marie | Green Your Apartment, February 24, 2011
It always blows me away when people say the technology isn't there to get ourselves out of this unsustainable cycle we've created. Inventions like this go to show that the same thing that got us into this ecological mess - human ingenuity - can also get us out of it.
Thanks for the great post sharing this invention!
Thanks for the great post sharing this invention!
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written by Carol, February 26, 2011
I'd love to see one of these reprocessors large enough to serve my community. It could go right into the waste processing station we have now. For sure they would have to extend the hours when people could drop off their bags.
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written by Bargain Outlet, March 16, 2011
This technology seems unbelievable and it is my hope that eventually something like this can become a mainstream piece of equipment. But until then (and the "until" tends to take a while) we need to eliminate the excessive use of plastic bottles of which less than 20% are even recycled. We just did an article on the Kor One water bottle at Bargain Outlet which is helping to do just that. Please buy something like this so we can stop disposing of all this plastic!
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written by TREVOR RAPS, April 01, 2011
WHEN THIS PROCESS IS POWERED BY SUNLIGHT & MICROBES ETC, IT WILL BE WORTH IMPLEMENTING!!!! NOT @ 1000WATTS OR MORE /LITRE OF CRUDE OIL PRODUCED!!!!! A LOT MORE QUANTUM THINKING REQUIRED!!!!
BEST REGARDS TREVOR.
BEST REGARDS TREVOR.
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