The United States produces 30 million tons of plastic each year, manufactured with 165 million barrels of crude oil. Today, an innovative, new technology has the ability to reverse the process of transforming oil to plastic by reusing plastic’s by products. Natural State Research, Inc. (NSR) of Stamford, CT, has developed the technology, which produces high-octane fuel for use in any combustion engine from almost all types of solid waste plastic materials. Dr. Moinuddin Sarker, NSR’s vice president of research and development, says the resulting fuel burns more efficiently and cleaner than commercial gasoline and diesel, and can be produced at a lower overall cost. NSR’s business model focuses on building local waste conversion plants for municipalities, utility companies and private enterprises, including waste management companies. NSR plans to commercialize its technology by licensing it to organizations that create locally owned franchises. NSR will then provide the technology expertise through onsite consultancy services.
A municipality, for example, that produces 25,000 tons of plastic would invest $5 million in the technology and expertise required to set up an NSR plastic-to-fuel waste management system. The municipality can then use the refined oil for its own power needs or sell to other organizations that seek alternative energy.
According to Sarker, NSR’s technology benefits users by:
- Reducing dependency on fossil fuels
- Reducing environmental pollution by removing plastic from landfills
- Creating sustainable jobs that cannot be outsourced
While most plastic recycling processes today accept only plastic designations 1 and 2, NSR can recycle 1 through 7, helping to rid the environment of a broader range of discarded plastic materials. www.naturalstatereseach.com
Source: Automation Alley
