bang goes the theory- plastics

[DrNik]

just watched it about plastics, scary that we live with plastics everywhere and cancers are on the increase, also making diesel from distilled plastic, might start production, lol

 

[marc.w]

I watched that too, very intriguing about the diesel production, 800 litres from 1 ton of plastic :-) £££££££

 

[bill_gj]

Didn't watch the programme, although I was interested, that Liz Bonnin gets on my wick.

I recall that there was a study a few years ago about a possible link between levels of male fertility and the used of PVC underground water pipes. Apparently, fertility was dropping in countries that had gone over to using PVC. Something slowly leeches out of the plastic with time.
Not that I go about licking plastics as a rule, but.....some of them do have a discernable 'taste' even before they are used for packaging food and drink.

The diesel thing - were they talking about the Fischer–Tropsch process? I think this was developed back in the 1920s and subsequently used in Nazi Germany and also South Africa to make fuels when they couldn't get oil. I believe coal was the original raw material.

 

[J_K]

Plastic is made from oil.
Obviously there are different plastics but the base materials are made from crude.

 

[Master-of-none]

Bill: Yes destructive distillation, with the possibility of some nasty toxic compounds produced and of course the expense of the heating system. Residue likely to be also toxic or worse!
OK on an industrial scale but not really suitable for back garden diesel like the cooking oil process.

 

[chunkolini]

Plastic= Frozen Oil.
That's why it burns so well.
Neal Stephenson.

 

[Mikey D]

I often move scrap plastic from a certain large yogurt manufacturer ,
thats baled and sent off to china !
Might divert a few tonnes to my house and get a bit of diesel squeezed out .
Liz Bonnin - oh yes please (winking smiley )