Turn waste plastic into jet fuel

One day plastic bags and plastic waste products will become a source of gasoline for aircraft, if an English engineer's idea becomes a reality.

Andy Pag, an engineer in the UK, came up with the idea of ​​extracting fuel for aircraft from plastic garbage - which recycling plants do not collect so they are often thrown into landfills. He will then pump gasoline extracted from waste plastic into a mini plane to travel across the UK.

'Plastics and hydrocarbon fuels all have the same chemical structure. They are all made up of chains of hydrogen and carbon atoms, but their arrangement of atoms is different. I will smash the atomic chain of plastic and rearrange it to produce gasoline for airplane engines , 'MSNBC quoted Pag.

Andy Pag dreamed of exploring England on a mini plane
Use gasoline extracted from waste plastic. (Photo: MSNBC)

"This is the technique that the Germans used during World War II to produce diesel fuel from coal ," Pag said.

If people find a way to utilize waste plastic, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) in the air will decrease, Pag explained. If plastic bags are buried in the ground, they will produce methane (NH ₄ ) and CO ₂ during the decomposition process.

When plastic is turned into fuel, it still releases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But in return, people will not have to use a certain amount of gasoline and oil underground. Since that amount of fuel is not used, it will help people save money, while reducing the amount of CO2 in the air.

With a planet of up to 7 billion people and more than 1 billion motorized vehicles such as Earth, Pag's solution to turn waste plastic into fuel cannot reduce the dependence of humanity on coal and oil.

'We cannot find a solution that satisfies all requirements. But if I find a useful solution, I will exploit it thoroughly , "Pag said.

Pag is not the type of person who comes up with ideas and puts them in mind. He used to drive a chocolate-powered truck across the Sahara desert in Africa and travel the world on a bus powered by used vegetable oil.