Startup Converts Plastic To Oil, And Finds A Niche

[xchrom]

http://www.wbur.org/npr/147506525/startup-converts-plastic-to-oil-and-finds-a-niche

?t=1330383349&s=4
JBI CEO John Bordynuik holds a jar of No. 6 fuel oil, derived from discarded plastic like that seen on a conveyor belt at his plant. (Daniel Robison / WNED)

Only 7 percent of plastic waste in the United States is recycled each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. A startup company in Niagara Falls says it can increase that amount and reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil at the same time.

It all starts with a machine known as the Plastic-Eating Monster. Thousands of pounds of shredded milk jugs, water bottles and grocery bags tumble into a large tank, where they're melted together and vaporized. This waste comes from landfills and dumps from all over the United States.

"Basically, they've been mining their piles for us and sending them here," says John Bordynuik, who heads his namesake company, JBI Inc. He invented a process that converts plastic into oil by rearranging its hydrocarbon chains.

[DonCoquixote]

1. This is exactly

Where our money could be going instead of fighting wars for Bibi Netanyahu and the Koch Brothers.

[AlecBGreen]

2. interesting, not a new idea

Im curious what the EROEI is. $10 to produce a barrel oil sounds exceedingly cheap and makes me think there are some costs being externalized.

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. Don't burn it! Recycle it!

http://www.ted.com/talks/mike_biddle.html

Less than 10% of plastic trash is recycled -- compared to almost 90% of metals -- because of the massively complicated problem of finding and sorting the different kinds. Frustrated by this waste, Mike Biddle has developed a cheap and incredibly energy efficient plant that can, and does, recycle any kind of plastic.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. I said some years ago

that people would start mining garbage dumps/landfills for the plastic, all it would take would be for oil to hit a certain price.
Amazed that this is had not been done on a large scale until now.