For years, science has agreed that plastic waste is destructive for our environment , but not according to Somerset West inventor, William Graham. To Graham, the tons of plastic waste produced by our society on a weekly basis is an ever-growing stack of gold. Graham has successfully invented a fully automated plastics-to-fuel processing plant that converts most types of plastics, including vehicle tyres into fuel. The only type of plastic not converted by Graham’s invention is PVC, due to its chlorine content.

Graham’s plastic to fuel converter produces a multi-fuel chemically similar to diesel. If the liquid is refined it can be turned into a petrol equivalent. Depending on the feedstock, the byproducts of the process are paraffin and LP gas. Apart from all of that, the process also produces a clean “sweet crude” that has zero CO2 content, which can be converted to charcoal. Almost every piece of plastic that you know of can be converted in to a usable fuel by Graham’s invention.

But the best part of this mechanism is the numbers. To produce one litre of multi fuel costs just R2,50, plus the plastic (which is often useless waste).

Graham said:

We had three Eskom bigwigs visit recently. Initially, they were very sceptical, and didn’t believe we were capable of pulling it off. They left dumbstruck.

Graham has had as many as 180 investors tour his facility, and said that, “they were going crazy for it.” According to Graham there has been strong interest from the auto industry, as well as mining companies in Botswana.

He is expecting big industry to buy and operate the custom designed plant directly and has done his homework at looking at several economic models. But Graham is also looking to produce smaller plants for farmers and small communities that will be able to supply five litres per hour.

Our technology not only removes a serious environmental headache and provides cheap fuel, but is going to help with job creation, too. I want to go worldwide with this.

This invention is cost effective, practical and an ecologically sound method of dealing with plastic waste.

[Source: Popular Mechanics]