Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
Interesting

Researchers turn plastic waste into jet

Darpan News Desk IANS, 04 Jun, 2019 07:09 PM

    Plastic trash may one day help people fly as researchers have found a way to turn daily plastic waste products into jet fuel.

    "There is a lot of hydrogen in plastics, which is a key component in fuel," said Hanwu Lei, Associate Professor at the Washington State University in the US.

    To produce jet fuel, the researchers melted plastic waste at high temperature with activated carbon.

    "This is a very good, and relatively simple, way to recycle these plastics," Lei said.

    For the study, the research team tested low-density polyethylene and mixed a variety of waste plastic products like water bottles, milk bottles, plastic bags and ground them down to around three millimetres, or about the size of a grain of rice.

    During the research, the plastic granules were then placed on top of activated carbon in a tube reactor at a high temperature, ranging from 430 degree Celsius to 571 degrees Celsius.

    The carbon is a catalyst or a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed by the reaction.

    "Plastic is hard to break down. You have to add a catalyst to help break the chemical bonds," Lei said.

    After testing several different catalysts at different temperatures, the best result they had produced a mixture of 85 per cent jet fuel and 15 per cent diesel fuel, said the study published in the journal Applied Energy.

    "We can recover almost 100 per cent of the energy from the plastic we tested, the fuel is very good quality, and the byproduct gasses produced are high quality and useful as well," Lei said.

    "You have to separate the resulting product to get jet fuel, if you don't separate it, then it's all diesel fuel," Lei added.

    At least 4.8 million tonnes of plastic enters the ocean each year worldwide, according to conservative estimates by scientists.

    The new process shows promise in reducing that waste.

    MORE Interesting ARTICLES

    Watch: US Embassy Employees Wish Everyone Happy Holidays Incredible India Style

    American diplomats love being in Incredible India. So much so that they sometimes express it in surprising ways. 

    Watch: US Embassy Employees Wish Everyone Happy Holidays Incredible India Style

    Youtube's Biggest Earner Of 2018 Is This 7-Year-Old Who Made $22 Million Playing With Toys

    With the year coming to a close, American business magazine Forbes has revealed its list of the world's highest-paid YouTube stars in 2018, which is headed by a 7-year-old named Ryan who reviews toys. 

    Youtube's Biggest Earner Of 2018 Is This 7-Year-Old Who Made $22 Million Playing With Toys

    Curfew In Colombian City To Save People From Evil Spirit Spreading Through WhatsApp

    Curfew In Colombian City To Save People From Evil Spirit Spreading Through WhatsApp
    Since the beginning of this week, authorities in the Catholic town of Parajito have reported at least 14 cases of teenagers exhibiting strange behavior, including threats of jumping off bridges, self lacerations, convulsions, fainting and unexplained changes in their voices. 

    Curfew In Colombian City To Save People From Evil Spirit Spreading Through WhatsApp

    Madhya Pradesh Polls - This Candidate Is Polishing Shoes To Please Voters

    Ahead of assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, politicians from all political parties are leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters. 

    Madhya Pradesh Polls - This Candidate Is Polishing Shoes To Please Voters

    Demonetisation - New Indian Currency Notes Issued In 2016 Have Become 'Unusable' In 2 Years

    Demonetisation - New Indian Currency Notes Issued In 2016 Have Become 'Unusable' In 2 Years
    New notes of Rs 2000, Rs 500 issued post demonetisation are fast becoming unusable after due to the poor quality as compared to the old notes, as per reports. 

    Demonetisation - New Indian Currency Notes Issued In 2016 Have Become 'Unusable' In 2 Years

    This Smartphone Company Is 'Almost Bankrupt' After Chairman Loses $144 Million In Gambling

    At a time when leading smartphone makers across the globe are busy injecting advanced technology, increasing supply and enhancing customer experience, Gionee is in a one-of-its-kind situation. 

    This Smartphone Company Is 'Almost Bankrupt' After Chairman Loses $144 Million In Gambling