Jan 20 - New Machine Converts Plastic to Oil...Good or Bad Technology?

A machine that converts one kilogram of plastic materials (resin codes 2-4 only) into one liter of crude oil, using one kilowatter of energy, has been created by Akinori Ito, CEO of a Japanese company called Blest.

Once refined, the oil can be used to fuel cars and other machines. Ito claims to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% with his technology by turning the plastic into oil rather than incinerating it as a means of disposal.

Now, Ito travels to other countries to talk about the benefits of his portable machine. These benefits include a decreased carbon footprint from reduced transportation of fuel, an increased awareness of the value of plastic "trash", and reduced landfill waste.

However, the impacts of the machine's liquidificaton and gasification processes on human health and the environment are potentially dangerous and unknown. Ito also does not consider recycling alternatives for plastics which would allow for reuse and recycling of the materials. Instead, his technology creates a resource that can only be used once through fuel burning.

Read more about CAW's stance on conversion technologies here.

See a video of Ito and his machine below.