http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12141

A US company is taking plastics recycling to another level - turning them back into the oil they were made from, and gas.

All that is needed, claims Global Resource Corporation (GRC), is a finely tuned microwave and - hey presto! - a mix of materials that were made from oil can be reduced back to oil and combustible gas (and a few leftovers).

Key to GRC's process is a machine that uses 1200 different frequencies within the microwave range, which act on specific hydrocarbon materials. As the material is zapped at the appropriate wavelength, part of the hydrocarbons that make up the plastic and rubber in the material are broken down into diesel oil and combustible gas.

Obviously, it would be a net negative process. However, if it isn't too costly, it would definitely beat having plastics photodegrading in the Pacific and entering our food chain.

Awesome. I think ideally we should recycle or breakdown everything. Nothing should be tossed.

The days of Mr Fusion and its ability to power our time traveling DeLoreans are coming that much closer to reality.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12141



Obviously, it would be a net negative process. However, if it isn't too costly, it would definitely beat having plastics photodegrading in the Pacific and entering our food chain.

Read an article on this in a Pop Science in 2007.

It has much promise and if they can get the cost of the unit down you'll likely see these things ripping through old land fills. Hey another job field for those unemployed. Though I don't know who'd want to spend all day tending this thing and shoveling through a landfill.

This is another application of Thermal Depolymerization (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_deploymerisation). Essentially, it is how oil is made: heat + organics + pressure -> hydrocarbons. There was some factory set up to turn turkey necks into oil.

There was some factory set up to turn turkey necks into oil.


Well, hell. I guess if you can accept 'turkey bacon', you can accept 'turkey oil'. :rolleyes:

Read an article on this in a Pop Science in 2007.

It has much promise and if they can get the cost of the unit down you'll likely see these things ripping through old land fills. Hey another job field for those unemployed. Though I don't know who'd want to spend all day tending this thing and shoveling through a landfill.

Lots of people out here work in a land fill making 18+ bucks an hour. Beats flipping burgers.

Recycling organic waste and plastics into something useful is great but these are primarily that, turning waste into something else. As means of energy production they are, of course, a net loss, but that's not a big deal because so is nearly everything else.

Ideally we'd have nuclear/solar base loads handling lots and lots of decentralized recyclers or bio-reactors, but our economy has been pushed towards centralization and long-haul shipping for so long it's going to take time.

Kinda reminds me of Green Oasis Environmental. Anyone remember that one?