[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGGabrorRS8[/youtube]

Schontasha Dyce

October 9, 2013

Jason Leggett

Plastic to oil production

Pollution has a very detrimental effect on humans today and historically. Namely “The Plastic Problem” in the environment. As well as the burning of plastic, this is known to emit dioxins into the atmosphere. This has become more toxic and has begun to cause serious health issues and concerns for children. I will give more details on “The Plastic Problem” and a possible solution created by Akinori Ito, CEO of Blest Corp.

Plastic trash is polluting our oceans and washing up on our beaches all around the world. Our Pacific ocean is filled with tons of plastic floating in the US and Japan, killing mammals and birds.  We’re all aware that plastic has many faults, including the way its production and disposal raises resource issues and lets off extremely negative environment impacts. From my research, it is estimated that 7% of the world’s annual oil production is used to produce and manufacture plastic. Plastic that is typically made from petroleum. This oil consumption is way more that the oil consumed by the entire African continent. Plastics carbon footprint includes land filling and incineration, and recycling rate is dismally low around the globe.

The burning of plastic is known to emit dioxins. Even when incineration plants are legally required to filter emissions, pollution control equipment can remove some but not all the toxic ashes. The two chemicals, phthalates and bisphenol A, have been scrutinized as recent possible environment toxins, carcinogens and endocrine disruptors.  However, Akinori Ito has proposed a solution or alternative with his inventing of the converting plastic to oil machine.  He is a common believer that plastic has a higher energy value than anything else. Akinori is a part of a Japanese company called Blest, and also who created a small, very safe machine that can convert several types of plastic back into oil. Even though Japan has improved its “effective utilization” rate was 72% in 2006 which leaves 28% of plastic to still be buried in land filling and burning.  From my research and according to Plastic Waste Management Institute data, that utilization rate includes not just 20% that is actually being recycled but also 52% that is being incinerated for energy recovery purpose: such as generating heat and electric power. Summing up the evitable that not enough recycling is going on to save our environment.

Akinori conversion machine is very safe because it used a temperature controlling electric heater rather than flame. These machines these machines are able to process polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene but not PET bottles. The results are a crude gas that can fuel things like generators or stoves and once broken down can be pumped into cars, boats or a motorbike. One kilogram of plastic produce almost one liter of oil.  “If we burn the plastic, we generate toxins and a large amount of CO2. If we convert it into oil, we save CO2 and at the same time increase people’s awareness about the value of plastic garbage.” Say’s Akinori. Akinori was very passonate about his machine and its educational process. He has taking it on planes and to school to help inform others like students, teachers and so on about the importance of plastic, recycling, and this machine. Spreading the Japanese idea of mottainai, the idea that waste is sad and regrettable. Since the new improvements this machine now costs 12,700.

To conclude, people in general have to change their way of thinking. Starting with recycling plastic, cans and glass. Akinori teaches children to think of it as something valuable. If we change or alter the way we think about our environment and those toxic things that impact the atmosphere, then I hope it can help us transition to a life that is more in tune with the planet and the realities ahead.