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07/09/2024 -
Waste Plastic Recycling Hit New Heights With Prototype Fuel

November 2012 will see the first flight of a plane powered entirely by recycled plastics.

Whilst many companies and individuals claim to have innovative waste management techniques, few would be willing to stake their life on it.

Yet, that’s exactly what British adventurer Jeremy Rowsell plans to do, as he demonstrates an innovate way of dealing with Waste Plastic Recycling from Irish company Cynar Plc.

Cynar have developed a method of melting down Waste Plastic Recycling in an oxygen-free environment - a process known as pyrolysis - to create a petroleum distillate, which can then be formed into different fuels.

So far, Cynar have successfully powered cars, and small motor vehicles on their recycled commercial waste. But Jeremy Rowsell will be hoping that their latest experiment proves just as successful, as in November, he’ll be piloting a plane fuelled with Cynarrr’s molten plastic.

And rather than an underwhelming distance that could be covered by a paper plane, Cynar and Rowsell are going ‘all in’ for this one, flying from Sydney to London.

The former flying doctor and aerobatics pilot will be making a six-day voyage powered by recycled plastics, taking in stops at Darwin, Christmas Island, Sri Lanka, Oman, Jordan, and Malta before landing in the British capital.

As well as being a potential source of aviation fuel, Cynar say that their plastic recycling technique produces absolutely no emissions and the end product is cleaner than conventional diesel and of a higher quality, with those few plastics that cannot be used in the conversion process being used to make floor coverings

Whilst this is more of a P.R. stunt to draw attention to the process and it’s potential uses, critics have been quick to suggest there simply isn’t enough waste plastic in the world to build a potential fuel industry around.

Cynar Chief Executive Michael Murray disagrees, however, is quick to point out, “There’s 26 million tonnes [of plastics] in the US going into landfill each year and 15 million in Europe,” he said. “I think [the fuel] can be a viable alternative if the industry adopts diesel-type engines. It’ll need testing and trials, but for a diesel engine not going beyond 8,000 feet, it should be fine.”

Rowsell backed the Chief Executive, saying ““Our objective is to prove that this synthetic fuel made from Waste Plastic Recycling is viable for a number of practical solutions and by doing so replace the need to use fossil fuels from conventional sources.”

And with the bigger picture in mind, perhaps we should all be hoping Cynar’s maiden flight is a successful one.

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