Scientists have created a ‘world first’ method which can turn unrecyclable plastic into fuel which could be used to power cars and homes.
Experts at the University of Chester focused on materials which cannot be recycled, such as food packaging or plastic recovered from beaches. They hoped to turn it into environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel and electricity while leaving no plastic remaining.
Developers claim this is the first time experts have worked out a method which uses all types of dirty plastic and leaves no residue behind. The process involves taking the unsorted, unwashed plastic and cutting it into two-inch (5cm) long strips before it is melted in a 1,000°C kiln. Gases producing in this procedure are then converted into energy. The innovation, created in partnership with PowerHouse Energy, will then be rolled out across Asia to help eliminate plastic from oceans and beaches worldwide – with the Japanese government already interested, the firm claims.
For the last two years the innovative method has been tested via a prototype demonstrator at the University of Chester.
An identical, if slightly smaller, version, of the huge kiln will now be built at the Protos plant in Thornton Science Park, Ellesmere Port next spring. The efficient conversion system will then be rolled out across China, India, Japan, Korea and South East Asia.
(Joe Pinkstone for Mailonline)