Machine Converts Plastic Waste Into Fuel
Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 7:42AM 
An ingenious new invention from a Japanese scientist has the potential to solve two staggering environmental problems at once.
Akinori Ito's machine turns plastic waste into fuel--and it could be the solution we've been waiting for to curb our dependence on foreign oil and dispose of the unimaginable amount of plastic waste we create every year.
Since the plastic in bags, bottles, caps and other packaging materials is made from oil, all Ito had to do was discover a way to return it to its original form. The machine uses a carbon-negative process; first, the plastic is heated up, and the resulting vapors are trapped in a system of pipes and chambers. The vapors are cooled and then condensed back into crude oil. At that stage, the crude can be used in generators and certain types of stoves. It can also be further refined into gasoline.
Although the machine currently costs $10,000, Ito says the price should fall as demand and production increase. Built for home use, the device is small and efficient. It can convert 1 kg of plastic into a liter of oil using only 1 kw/hr of energy.
fossil fuels, plastic waste in Environment 
Reader Comments (6)
This is fantastic, no other way to describe it.
That sounds like nonsense to me. You can also burn plastic for energy as it is. The problem is the pollution it creates.
Hopefully this one is true :)
This was already discovered by a belgian company based in Mons five years ago and is user by belgian public utilities to fuel up -litteraly speaking, their vehicles
nice, i really like the idea of reclaiming waste to create energy.
Dear Todd,
Please read the article again. Particularly the "trapped fumes" part