Giant Microwave Turns Plastic Back To Oil.

Will this herald the end of the energy crisis, at least partially, in the near future?


The Hawk-10 uses specific microwave frequencies
to extract oil and gas from plastics.
Image courtesy: Global Resource Corporation

A US company is taking plastics recycling to another level – turning them back into the oil they were made from, and gas.

All that is needed, claims Global Resource Corporation (GRC), is a finely tuned microwave and – hey presto! – a mix of materials that were made from oil can be reduced back to oil and combustible gas (and a few leftovers).

Key to GRC’s process is a machine that uses 1200 different frequencies within the microwave range, which act on specific hydrocarbon materials. As the material is zapped at the appropriate wavelength, part of the hydrocarbons that make up the plastic and rubber in the material are broken down into diesel oil and combustible gas.

Running 9.1 kilograms of ground-up tyres through the Hawk-10 produces 4.54 litres of diesel oil, 1.42 cubic metres of combustible gas, 1 kg of steel and 3.40 kg of carbon black.

Not bad for a start. But the moot question is, will it be comercially viable?

environment.newscientist.com...

Originally posted by mikesingh
Will this herald the end of the energy crisis, at least partially, in the near future?

I think that it is more important for plastic to get recycled...

Thats was going to happen anyway but eventially even the plastic will be gone. Its just sqeezing the last drop out is all that is.

Wonder what Earth will be like with no oil. No more rich oil companys no more oil wars.

Originally posted by DarthMarduk


I think that it is more important for plastic to get recycled...

I agree, we need to start saving all our plastic because when the oil is gone we wont be able to make plastic anymore. If we save some plastic we can keep recycling it.
Yeah squeezing oil out of it is not a good idea.

Originally posted by earth2
I agree, we need to start saving all our plastic because when the oil is gone we wont be able to make plastic anymore.

you can create fuel and plastic (bio-degradable) from hemp:

www.hempplastic.com...

Originally posted by DarthMarduk

Originally posted by earth2
I agree, we need to start saving all our plastic because when the oil is gone we wont be able to make plastic anymore.

you can create fuel and plastic (bio-degradable) from hemp:

www.hempplastic.com...

Good then lets hurry up and get rid of all this oil on Earth that way civilization can get on with its business.

Originally posted by earth2
Good then lets hurry up and get rid of all this oil on Earth that way civilization can get on with its business.

yeah, I wish it could be that easy, but the main problem is not the oil but powerfull people that are behind it...



first we must get rid of them...

Your not going to get rid of them until you get rid of the oil.

Thats like trying to make crackheads leave crackrock island.

If oil disappears then there will be something else to fight over - perhaps daipers. if we can recover some oil from plastic, and it is viable, then the cost of plastic will increase and someone will have a monopoly and the war will be about who has the most recycling plants. Will it be worth it? Who knows. What would the cost be versus effort and final product extracted? I bet there is a plan in the pipeline to tax the air we breathe. The bigger you are the more you will need to inhale and the smaler you are - etc etc and so on and so forth.

The biggest problem is the normal people allow government to do this cos we are too cosy in our own little worlds to care about doing something.

[edit on 28/6/2007 by shearder]

You are so correct, matter of fact I would like to go start a plastic recycling plant. Well I would if I could.

(mod edit to remove unnecessary quote of preceding post)

[edit on 28-6-2007 by pantha]

I always wondered what if Nanotech could be used for this?

I mean when it is advanced. Could you not place an army or nanotech machines
in dumps and have them break down the plastic bottles to speed up the
process??

Good find!

Originally posted by a1ex
I always wondered what if Nanotech could be used for this?

I mean when it is advanced. Could you not place an army or nanotech machines
in dumps and have them break down the plastic bottles to speed up the
process??

Good find!

Excellent idea!

But hey, as shearder rightly says, if not oil then it'll be war over plastics!

And what do we know what's going on in some of those black projects? Those guys must've already produced some gizmo for extracting free energy from anti-matter or screwing around with anti-gravity to do it! But they'll perhaps divulge this technology only after all the oil (and plastic) has run out and the mega oil corps go bust. That'll be sometime by the end of this century.

Thank god, at least the beer won't run out by then! Cheers!!

I think the microwave will take more energy then it actually produces.

Originally posted by earth2
Your not going to get rid of them until you get rid of the oil.

Thats like trying to make crackheads leave crackrock island.

BEST ATS QUOTE EVER!!!!


I believe we are not thinking hard enough about this... Plastics are a byproduct of petroleum.... petroleum is now a byproduct of plastic... As long as we control what our recycled plastics are used for ( i.e. 75% of all plastics turned to oil Must be turned back to plastic, thus giving us 25% flex room to either make motor oil, or backstore some oil for the purpose of creating plastic down the road.)

and those of you willing to live without oil, need to step back and look at everything plastic that they use... Lots of these things are necessary to life, and will have to be completely redesigned once plastics are unavailable.





Coven Out

Humanity was alive and well for thousands of years before plastics, and we will be alive for quite a time after if it were to ever dissapear.

Only the people who refuse to live a simple life or wallow in the dispair of a time long past and gone will dissapear, those who choose to continue living at whatever cost will do so, and thus humanity will go on.

By the way I have already begun a public recycling initiative in my city utilizing high volume businesses that produce alot of recoverable waste. I have ten units now, but in a couple of months with more funds and after I go part time at my current job I will expand this to at least 150. I am also developing a patented product that will give businesses an incentive to host my recycling units and spread my product to many cities, and hopefully nationally.

I will be making money off of all your garbage, but so are many others already doing so. So be on the look out, you may see the ARC coming to your town soon.

Originally posted by a1ex
I always wondered what if Nanotech could be used for this?

I mean when it is advanced. Could you not place an army or nanotech machines
in dumps and have them break down the plastic bottles to speed up the
process??

Good find!

The nanomachines already exist and are already converting plastic into energy and CO2...they are called bacteria. In 100,000 years there will be no more plastic. or oil. and the earth will be a steamy hothouse due to the increased CO2 and global warming.

Originally posted by shearder
If oil disappears then there will be something else to fight over - perhaps daipers. if we can recover some oil from plastic, and it is viable, then the cost of plastic will increase and someone will have a monopoly and the war will be about who has the most recycling plants. Will it be worth it? Who knows. What would the cost be versus effort and final product extracted? I bet there is a plan in the pipeline to tax the air we breathe. The bigger you are the more you will need to inhale and the smaler you are - etc etc and so on and so forth.

The biggest problem is the normal people allow government to do this cos we are too cosy in our own little worlds to care about doing something.

[edit on 28/6/2007 by shearder]

Your post reminds me of when bottled watter was first becomming popular and I thought whats next we bottle, market, and sell air? (I think they do sell nitrogen or something to athletes)

Anyhow for the OP's post did anyone notice how the oil looks like it does when its usefuleness and viscosity is done? It looked very black and dirty, they probably have to then recycle the extraced oil and go through the process of cleaning it etc.

The whole thing seems less effective then just re-using plastic as new plastic... Otherwise you will still have tuppperware etc. to make and that will require new oil etc.

Originally posted by DarthMarduk


you can create fuel and plastic (bio-degradable) from hemp:

www.hempplastic.com...

Like DM said we dont need the plastics we can make bio-plastic from hemp.
So we really wont miss anything but the oil, which is fine with me.

No matter what you do about energy, there will be someone smart enough to capitalize on it. Bill Gates Capitalized on Personal Computers with his buggy but operational Windows Operating System. If oil runs out, you think the oil mongers won't know what the next source of energy for us will be? I think they already know, and they will do anything to keep the power within their hands.

Originally posted by tnt3kgt

Your post reminds me of when bottled watter was first becomming popular and I thought whats next we bottle, market, and sell air? (I think they do sell nitrogen or something to athletes)

They already sell Air and certain pubs/cafes and all it is is flavor + Oxygen. It's funny how free comes with a cost.