We all know about the hazardous effects that pollution caused due to non-degradable plastic is having on our environment. Recently, horrific images and reports of marine and aquatic life being harmed due to plastic getting into the seas and oceans across the globe, have shocked ecologists and common people alike. In what can be called a revolutionary finding, a mechanical engineer from Hyderabad in India, has declared that he has been able to successfully convert waste plastic into fuel which can be used for a variety of purposes by everyone.
Meet Satish Kumar, who is using waste plastic to manufacture synthetic fuel. He uses a three-step reverse engineering method in which the plastic is indirectly heated in vacuum conditions, depolymerised, gasified and condensed.
Amazingly, Kumar is able to produce diesel, aviation fuel and even petroleum.
With this process known as plastic pyrolysis, combustible fluids similar to petrol can be produced. This, to say the least, appears to be a God sent opportunity to redeem the environment, and save the planet from pollution.
Approximately, 500 kgs of non-reusable plastic can be used to make 400 litres of fuel.
Excited about the endless possibilities of this technology, Satish says, “It’s a simple process which requires no water and doesn’t release waste water. Neither does it pollute the air as the process happens in a vacuum. When organizations discard dead plastic, that’s where this technology steps in”.
It was only last year in 2016, when Satish began working on the technology. Since then, he has collected 50 tonnes of plastic from NGOs and organizations which they had discarded as waste. It’s important to note, that the huge cosmopolitan city which Hyderabad is, it produces over 2,500 tonnes of plastic.
Which was one of the main reasons, that inspired Satish to start with his work in the city. Today, Satish is successfully able to sell the fuel extracted from this technique, at anywhere between ₹40 to ₹50 per litre, to local industries, which consists of a bakery that uses it for cooking and baking food. Now isn’t that awesome!
