Machine Converts Trash to Oil

[Simplify]

Amazing Japanese machine converts trash to oil

Five minute video.

Man invents machine to convert plastic into oil - YouTube

 

[ChadTower]

I would pay a lot of money for one of those to turn plastics into heating oil (diesel). Feed it right into the 250gal tank in my basement. I put so much plastic into the recycling bin every week it ticks me off to think we could be doing something useful with it.

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

I know that Union Carbide spent a LOT of money over the years to try to convert trash to gas and oil, as well as coal liquefaction. They actually built a demonstration project in South Charleston WV to convert trash to gas. It was an economic failure. At some point, I suppose, the price of oil will cross the cost of converting plastics to oil, just like it has gotten above the price point for shale oil and tar sand oil. I'm not sure its even close right now.

 

[ChadTower]

I would pay more than the current cost of oil to be able to empty my recycling bin into a machine and get heating oil out of it. That would be solving a whole bunch of problems all at once for me personally as well as the world in general.

 

[CozInCowtown]

I think plastic is made from oil is it not??
If so then it should be able to be converted back??

 

[ChadTower]

It is possible... but the gov't and big oil don't want us to do it...

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

It's possible, but not simple. I've worked in the chemical industry most of my working life, and if something like that was practical it would already have been commercialized BY the big companies. Anyway- just how much plastic is in your recycling bin every week? lets say it's 50 lbs.-(and that's a LOT of waste plastic) even if all of that is converted to oil, it only amounts of about 9 gallons. How much would you pay up front for a machine that saves you $50-60/week?

 

[Theo]

I think plastic is made from oil is it not??
If so then it should be able to be converted back??

It's made from a by-product of oil distillation. Just as gasoline is one part of oil distillation, plastics are made from various compounds that are a result of making gasoline, diesel, etc. You could only get what the plastic was made of, not gas/diesel without adding something to it. Well, unless the guy has cracked the quantum mechanics prize.

 

[Newanderthal]

The Irish invented this machine which converts Guinness into Budweiser

 

[ChadTower]

It's possible, but not simple. I've worked in the chemical industry most of my working life, and if something like that was practical it would already have been commercialized BY the big companies. Anyway- just how much plastic is in your recycling bin every week? lets say it's 50 lbs.-(and that's a LOT of waste plastic) even if all of that is converted to oil, it only amounts of about 9 gallons. How much would you pay up front for a machine that saves you $50-60/week?

It's more than the money, though. If I don't have to recycle my plastics then the city doesn't have to send a truck to my house to pick up my recycling. That's a win.

Given that both my furnace and water heater are diesel/heating oil fired this would be a major improvement to the way my house operates. Even if we reduce the amount of plastic to something realistic like 20lb of plastic a week that would be more than enough to cover 100% of my hot water. Also given that since my furnace uses something like 750-900 gallons of oil over the winter I would be willing to invest in a machine that would make the process easier even if it weren't a profitable decision.

Now imagine all of the plastic all over the roads disappearing within months as all of the people who used to pick up deposit bottles are now also picking up every single piece of plastic they see. There is 50 years worth of plastic floating around the roadsides and waterways that would suddenly be worth money. Litter would damn near disappear.