Engineer Chitra Developed Machine Which Converts Plastic Waste into Diesel

[P.J.]

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Engineer Chitra Developed Machine Which Converts Plastic Waste into Diesel


Engineer Chitra Thiyagarajan Developed Machine Which Converts Plastic Waste into Diesel

An Engineer ‘Chitra Thiyagarajan’ has developed a machine which converts plastic waste into diesel . She is determined to find a cheap and sustainable fuel, She has finally developed a unit that converts plastic waste into a fuel similar to diesel. After a series of tests in a sustained three-year effort, Thiyagarajan finally perfected the device and applied for a patent.

Chitra Thiyagarajan’s guide is Mr. C S M Sundaram (80 years ) a retired professor of St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, He said the device was the result of backbreaking work, persistence and dogged tenacity. It involved research, fieldwork and frequent upgrading of design, I may have helped her occasionally but the credit is all hers.
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Chitra Thiyagarajan applied for a patent for the device in June month 2013. The patent authorities checked the machine for two months and verified that it could be patented. They accepted my application in August month of 2013.
Explaining how her ‘pyro-plant’ functions, she said, all plastics except PET bottles are put in a chamber and heated in the absence of oxygen over chromium micro band heaters (similar to those used in water immersion rods) to temperatures of between 350oC and 375oC. The gas generated passes into another chamber with a water coolants coils on two sides. It is then pumped into another compartment half-filled with water. The fuel floats on the surface. Non-soluble gas that passes into a condenser can be used as an LPG alternative.


For more : BlazeTechTeam - A Daily Dose of Technology


The device is not expensive and requires just three hours to generate fuel. A 5kg unit costs around Rs 75,000 and a 25kg variant, Rs3 lakh. Each kg of plastic produces 800ml of diesel. While the diesel can be stored, the LPG generated has to be used directly and cannot be compressed, A similar process is used to generate fuel in China but the production costs are high and it is a time-consuming process,” Chitra Thiyagarajan said.
For more : BlazeTechTeam - A Daily Dose of Technology


Indian Institute of Technology-Madras chemical engineering professor S Pushpavanam said the invention is feasible and could be used to produce fuel. Thiyagarajan’s other inventions include a night vision camera and an electromagnetic belt for physiotherapy.


http://www.india.cd/shabarish_balaj...ine-which-converts-plastic-waste-into-diesel/

 

[biswa]

Great work, no doubt? But should not plastic be recycled into other plastic? That may be more efficient than eventually burning it.

 

[prasad1]

I agree with Mr. Biswa's post, but not all plastics are same. The process of recycling used plastic from consumable products is an efficient means to reprocess the material into useful products. Many different products make great sources of recyclable material, including: soda bottles, plastic packaging, sheets and pellets.
The recycled plastic pellets are usually sold by the recycling company to other businesses which would then mold the plastic pellets into an assortment of products for various uses. Some products use a combination of recycled plastic pellets and virgin plastic ones. Though people tend to go for fully virgin plastic when available, the value of recycled plastic is undeniable, because recycling cuts down on landfill contribution and the process creates an avenue to reuse plastic, which is a non-renewable resource, which in turn reduces the rate of pollution and promotes overall wellness.

But at certain point it is cheaper to use virgin (?) products rather than recycled product. In the North east USA the recycling became too efficient. The collection and palletizing of plastic produces overabundance of these material, and cost is prohibitive so the manufacturers prefer the fresh pellets made with petroleum raw material.

So there may be a point when it is cheaper to turn it back into fuel. But do have enough waste plastic to be converted to fuel?

 

[biswa]

Mr. Prasad, something I dont understand about your post. A glut of recycled plastic should make it cheaper and more attractive, no?

 

[sarang]

Recycling of plastics too is big business as most of the cheap plastic goods including toys sold on the roadside are made of recycled plastics. In fact some goods made of virgin plastics are even labelled as such. A professor from Madurai was in the news some years ago for waste plastic tar mix for road surfaces.

 

[prasad1]

Mr. Prasad, something I dont understand about your post. A glut of recycled plastic should make it cheaper and more attractive, no?

The problem with the cost of recycled plastic is not supply and demand alone. The cost collecting, storing, cleaning, sorting and palletizing this waste plastic is prohibitive in USA. So the recycler can not recoup the cost. So converting it into oil may be better.