10.07.2022

Converting Plastic Waste To Fuel in India

Every year, India witnesses 18 million tonnes of plastic waste that ends up in landfills. And the figures are only increasing. In a bid to make a difference, two Pune-based environmentalists, Dr Medha Tadpatrikar and Shirish Phadtare, have developed a solution that converts 25 lakh tonnes of plastic waste into poly fuel. Much cheaper than market alternatives, this poly fuel can be used in cooking stoves, generators, and running tractors. The fuel obtained from conversion of plastic is completely environmentally friendly due to absence of any toxic substances. Apart from producing petroleum and diesel, this technology will also ensure that urban and semi-urban areas become plastic free, as instead of disposing plastics as waste, they can be converted to fuel. The collected plastic waste is shredded and dumped into a reactor. Post that, a catalyst is added and the plastic is heated at a temperature of 150 degrees. The gases emitted such as methane and propane as stored in a separate gas tank to be used as heating source for the machine to function. The oil obtained is filtered, stored and readied for dispatch. With such a small setup, Rudra has revolutionised how plastic can be successfully converted to fuel. A tonne of plastic can approximately produce 600 to 650 litres of fuel, 20 to 25 per cent synthetic gases and 5 to 10 per cent of residual char, which can be used for road filler with bitumen. The organisation today collects plastic waste from nearly 15,000 households from Pune, as well as encourages people from all over India to send plastic waste via courier for conversion to fuel. Credit: DW