A self-taught French scientist, funded by a French actor, has created a machine that might be a possible solution to the problem of plastic waste.
The machine, called Chrysalis, converts non-recyclable plastic trash into 65% diesel, 18% gasoline, 10% gas, and 7% carbon.
The inventor, Christofer Costes, 35, says that the diesel can be used for generators or motors, the gasoline to power lamps for heating, the gas for heating, and the carbon for colored crayons.
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The fairly low-tech machine heats the plastic to over 840 degrees Fahrenheit until it decomposes and transforms into the four substances mentioned above. Costes explained:
“This breaks up the plastic molecules and transforms them into lighter hydrocarbons. They go up into the distillation tower, and separate into diesel, petrol and at the top of the tower, there is gas, which is stored in a reservoir. A kilo of plastic gives a liter of liquid. It’s separated between diesel and petrol.”
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The machine, which costs around $50,000 to build, can be scaled up.
Clearly, it’s not the greenest solution to the plastic problem, but it’s an outstanding effort. We are still ardent believers that the final solution is to create new, greener products while drastically slowing the rate of plastic production to remove plastic from the environment and our homes.
