塑料垃圾转化为可使用燃油 已成现实.doc

1 塑料垃圾转化为可使用燃油 已成现实 组图 搜狐绿色消息 据 CNN 网站 10 月 22 日消息 塑料会因为在土里长达上百年无法 降解而污染了土壤 但现在这一问题已找到了行之有效的解决方法 美国一家环保公司开 发出一套塑料垃圾造油装置 可有效地将塑料垃圾转化为可使用的燃油 美国 Envion 环保公司在马里兰州蒙哥马利县开了一家新的示范工厂 专门使用塑料垃 圾造油装置生产燃油 Envion 首席执行官 迈克尔 韩 Michael Han 描述了塑料垃 圾造油过程 废塑料首先要粉碎和融化 然 后通过加工将燃油从其它成分中分离出来 在机械设备的一端 塑料垃圾碎片被倾 倒在一个漏斗里 从漏斗中漏到一条传送带 上 并传送到一个 反应堆 设备另一端是 管道和阀门 韩然后在其中一个管道上开了 一个口 流出了一些像苹果汁似的液体 味 道有点像柴油 这些油经过处理就成为有用 的油了 能够用在小汽车 发电机 甚至飞 机上 并不是塑料垃圾中的所有成分都能提炼成燃油 在塑料生产中添加的化学品必须被 分离出来 环保团体 绿色和平组织 的研究员柯特 戴维斯没有参观工厂 他提出一个问题 如 何处理那些分离出来的添加剂 金属和其它废物呢 韩说希望能找到沥青生产商 因为他 们可以使用污泥作为媒介将金属过滤掉 否则 金属会因为微波辐射变得干燥 和着灰尘 被送到堆填区 戴维斯说 又出现了一个问题 这样不是会出现很多危险废物填埋场 但韩说 这些都不是危险物 最重要的是这个处理过程没有有害气体被释放到空气中 你 闻不到任何燃烧的气味 我们不焚烧 我们只是融化 Envion 公司准备将这项新技术介绍给环境卫生部门 并承诺每年消耗 1 万吨塑料垃圾 同时也能获得经济效益 该工厂一年可以生产高达 60 万桶油 并表示 其中一部分油是 用来保持机器运行 其余的可以出售给一家石油公司获得利润 据悉 该工厂的建立耗资 400 万美元 投入生产后利润可观 因为提炼每桶燃油的成本只需 10 美元 产出的燃油可 以卖到每桶 70 多美元 韩说 如果有一种方法 不仅能够解决国家废塑料堆积问题 同 时也能获得一定的经济效益 那么我认为这是一个双赢的结果 2 Envion Oil Generator turns plastic waste into oil By Paul Ridden 17 12 September 21 2009 The ground breaking Envion Oil Generator EOG gave its first public performance at the Montgomery County Solid Waste Transfer Station in Derwood Maryland recently The EOG can be fed almost any petroleum based waste plastic and will convert it into synthetic light to medium oil for less than USD 10 per barrel As with crude oil the synthetic oil can then be processed into commercial fuels or even back into plastic Both a saint and a sinner plastic has touched almost every part of modern life It s everywhere we live in homes built using it we eat and drink from it or with it we drive encased in it we walk wearing it we are entertained by it this article was typed using keys made from it It has made our lives easier and we have become utterly dependent on it But it s this very usefulness 20 times more plastic is produced today than 50 years ago some 260 million tons globally that is behind plastic s biggest problem What do you do with it when it s reached the end of its useful life Until relatively recently our disposable Western mindset would tell us to simply throw the snapped plastic fork or the empty plastic bottle out with the rubbish Although most of us have now been whipped up into a recycling frenzy an awful lot of plastic still ends up as waste In the US it is estimated that less than 4 percent of plastic waste is recycled 2 millions tons leaving about 46 million tons to be disposed of in other ways Whether it s incinerated which produces hazardous emissions and toxic ash or buried in landfill where various toxic chemicals are released during the slow degradation of plastics or dumped at sea that accounts for millions of tons of hazardous floating garbage such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch humans animals and the environment suffer as a result Energy capture Given that an awful lot of the plastic we use every day is derived from fossil fuels such as gas and oil and as such contains huge amounts of stored energy which simply goes to waste when it s thrown away wouldn t it be great if we could capture all of this energy and re use it That s essentially what Envion a portmanteau of environment and vision says its EOG does A reactor converts waste plastic feedstock into oil through low temperature thermal cracking in a vacuum extracting the hydrocarbons embedded in petroleum based plastic waste without the use of a catalyst Roughly around 62 percent of what goes into the unit is successfully converted into oil Interestingly the EOG makes use of some of the by products of the conversion process to power the unit Vent gas is recycled to provide electricity and excess oil residue is transformed into emulsified heavy oil When Gizmag asked about other by products Envion s Todd Makurath told us There are three byproducts of the EOG operation oxygen carbon dioxide and ash First it should noted that the EOG is actually carbon negative as an oil producer That being said we are an environmentally focused company and aren t satisfied with just beating the average The CO2 released by the EOG is minimal and well within all EPA guidelines said Makurath The ash that is produced is the result of the use of our sludge dryer We try to contain and reuse 3 whatever we can in the system and as sludge is produced within the EOG it is fed into the sludge dryer where any excess or residual oil is extracted and fed back into the system to increase efficiency and what is leftover is microwaved to produce a non hazardous ash There are no gaseous emissions from the sludge dryer When all is said and done the ash generally equates to less than 5 percent by weight of what was processed by the machine Each Envion unit is assembled on a single mobile base platform with dimensions 47ft x 13ft 14 3m x 4m and is capable of processing up to 10 000 tons of plastic waste annually producing three to five barrels of refined 99 percent sediment free petroleum product per ton of plastic waste that s over one million gallons of oil per year per unit Scaling up the unit merely involves adding more reactors not whole systems Unlike current recycling methods where mixing different kinds of plastic is a big no no the EOG has an all plastic is welcome policy no segregation here Polyethylene terephthalate PET high and low density polyethylenes HDPE and LDPE polyvinyl chloride PVC polypropylene PP and polystyrene PS as well as several other plastic materials such as GPPS EPS HIPS and PA can all be converted to oil by the unit The company estimates that its solution would have been able to accept and process between 60 80 percent of the total plastic waste thrown away in the U S in 2007 based on EPA statistics At the recent launch in Maryland company founder Michael S Han commented The Envion Oil Generator provides a revolutionary solution to the problem of plastic waste by transforming it from an environmental hazard into a sustainable renewable energy source After 15 years in development the EOG is now ready for deployment throughout the U S and beyond but Envion isn t planning to stop there Its research and development boffins are currently looking into applying the conversion technology to other types of petroleum based waste products such as vehicle tires The good the bad and The good re using the millions of tons of plastic waste instead of burying dumping or burning it is undoubtedly a good thing With processing costs of less than USD 30 per ton compared to other methods in excess of USD 200 per ton it s a cheaper way of managing plastic waste too The bad the end product is oil which means that all the environmental consequences associated with it are likely to continue for some time to come The last great oil shock in the late 1970s fueled some wonderful ideas for alternatives to polluting power but as the distress died away so did the ideas The realization that oil reserves are finite that some day soon oil production will come to an end has finally started to hit home A great innovation in itself it would be a great shame if the widespread application of the Envion technology put a premature end to the increasingly numerous clean power innovations that are regularly showcased on Gizmag s pages The following video shows the EOG in action 4 The Envion Oil Generator a new technology that converts plastic waste into oil at the Montgomery County Waste Transfer Station Tae Young Lee Chief Engineer of Envion collects oil from the Envion Oil Generator 5 A sample of the oil produced by the Envion Oil Generator User Comments 5 yes please I will take delivery of one Charge it to my master card In regards to tyres isn t there an oil producing and steel and rubber tyre recycling plant been invented in Australia I m sure I saw a article on here about it Craig Jennings September 21 2009 06 09 pm PDT Generally this sounds like a clever machine and a great way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil along with the environmental costs of transporting oil around the world while simultaneously reducing the amount of waste dumped into the ground or ocean I see the potential risk that a good plastic to oil machine could derail some of the non oil alternatives but most technologies materials oil included are not inherently bad for the environment After all we didn t invent oil It s been on the planet for billions of years We just have used oil in ways that were harmful to the planet s ecosystem If we can come up with ways to use oil more efficiently and with less pollution perhaps that can be one component of an overall greener more efficient economy Aaron Dalton Editor http 1GreenP 1greenproduct September 22 2009 07 09 am PDT it would be a great shame if the widespread application of the Envion technology put a premature end to the increasingly numerous clean power innovations that are regularly showcased on Gizmag s pages If I took your doom and gloom sentiment as an indication of how well this technology works than I m very excited Most recycling programs are restricted to 1 and 2 plastic Granted a lot of the plastic we use is 1 and 2 but a fair amount isn t This plastic as you said ends up in landfills or burnt in a waste energy plant Obviously it s too soon to say what emissions may come out of burning fuel 6 refined from this new oil but I d wager it s better than plastic burning as plastic While in America the plastic grocery bag flies in trees as the official flag of urban areas it s undoubtedly an awesome feat that a single stream recycling for plastic could turn these objects into resources yet again While I agree ending the clean power innovations would be terrible I disagree with your dire prediction and can not see this as anything other than a brilliant recycle reuse operation TheDuke September 22 2009 09 09 am PDT let us hope this technology is allowed to spread world wide a very good idea top marks to the inventors robinyatesuk2003 September 22 2009 08 09 pm PDT These processing plants along with appropriate collecting devices might be mounted on ships and sent to the areas of the ocean where large amounts of floating plastic debris have been reported This might be so profitable that it will be undertaken by private entrepreneurs thus adding no additional burden to already strained taxpayers Turning Trash Into Fuel D C Start Up Aims to Pitch Oil Made From Plastic Waste By Mike Musgrove Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday September 16 2009 Plastic soda bottles Big Gulp cups and empty sour cream containers get fed into the top of the three story machine About 10 minutes later out the other side comes a light brown synthetic oil that can be converted into fuel for a truck or a jet airplane THIS STORY Turning Trash Into Fuel Plastic to Oil The Envion Oil Generator scheduled for an official unveiling at Montgomery County s Solid Waste Transfer Station on Wednesday represents a local company s decade long effort to fight 7 rising fuel costs and help protect the environment As part of a pilot program the company recently assembled the first of its fuel producing generators at the Derwood waste facility We re creating immediate answers to today s environmental concerns said Michael Han the firm s chairman and chief executive as he showed off the generator on Tuesday This is an answer to environmentalists who don t want a landfill in their back yard The District company s technology works by melting plastic in an oxygen free environment to separate the hydrocarbons destined for the oil barrel from the additives used to make that Big Gulp cup The additives are rendered into a nonhazardous ash byproduct the company says While other firms have developed ways to convert waste plastic into oil Han said Envion uses a far infrared ray technology that yields more fuel than competitors processes Environmental experts didn t immediately know what to make of the company s claims A research director with the environmental organization Greenpeace said that he hadn t heard of this particular technology but that his instinct was to remain skeptical There are so many schemes like this said Kert Davies citing plans he s heard that would make sustainable fuel out of everything ranging from turkey carcasses to carbon dioxide I get calls every other day from someone who has some invention that magically makes the world whole Envion said its new generator can consume any type of plastic and convert it into synthetic oil depending on the type of plastic one ton can be converted into three to six barrels of fuel Envion said it costs about 10 to convert the plastic waste into a barrel s worth of synthetic oil currently crude oil sells for close to 70 a barrel The generator with a capacity for handling more than 6 000 tons of plastic per year is a slightly smaller version of what Envion will soon be pitching as its flagship product The 10 000 ton version which could produce up to 60 000 barrels costs 6 million to 7 million to build A prototype unit using earlier versions of the company s technology was assembled in Korea but has since been dismantled While Envion pitches its technology as one that should receive the approval of environmentalists Davies at Greenpeace was dubious To make it big this company needs people to waste plastic he said We need to question whether we should be using plastic at all to begin with Han a former investment banker who worked for Lehman Brothers more than a decade ago said the privately held company is mostly funded out of his own pocket but it has also received money from angel investors Envion currently employs 46 people Han s family consists largely of engineers Envion s technology was initially designed by his uncle who lives in Korea and China Han brought the company back to the United States specifically Washington because he grew up in the region and wanted to get closer to Mom and Dad Envion hopes to license the technology to municipalities across the country and eventually take it global The company installed the new generator at its own expense at the Montgomery County facility as a way to woo potential customers with a demonstration At the end of October the company will remove the generator Envion said it doesn t yet know where the device will go next 8 We re happy to host them said Peter Karasik who manages the waste facility Montgomery County s Solid Waste Transfer Station handles about 100 tons of recyclable material a day he said and sells hundreds of tons of recycled plastic to bidders every month But the spot on which Envion s generator is parked will soon be needed again because that s where the facility stashes leaves collected from county streets each fall We need every bit of space we can get Karasik said TALKING TRASH ENVION TURNS PLASTIC WASTE INTO OIL BY JACE SHOEMAKER ON SEPTEMBER 25 2009 A ribbon cutting ceremony was held this week on a new plant that converts millions of tons of plastic waste into a cost effective renewable by product oil Envion Inc which stands for environmental vision was founded in 2002 by Michael S Han Using groundbreaking technology over 80 percent of the plastic waste used by the Washington D C based company will become liquid oil The rest can be recycled and used to power the Envion Oil Generator EOG Envion Oil Generator The EOG is the first of its kind plastic waste to oil conversion platform The process takes plastic waste including bottles cups and bottle caps and converts the pieces into synthetic oil PET HDPE PVC LDPE PP PS GPPS EPS HIPS and PA plastics can all be recycled in the EOG According to the website the EOG extracts the hydrocarbons embedded in the plastic waste without the use of a catalyst The reactor uses a heating system that converts the plastic into oil through low temperature thermal cracking in a vacuum Once the plastic is chopped into small pieces a conveyor belt carries the pieces into the EOG The pieces are heated and within 10 minutes the plastic confetti like pieces become 99 percent 9 sediment free oil similar to crude The product can then be sold to companies and converted into commercial fuels including diesel gasoline jet fuel and kerosene The shade of the oil depends on the type of plastic that is used It is expected that one generator will produce more than 1 million gallons of oil annually The EOGs will be available for commercial purchases at some point during the third quarter of 2009 Costing just cents to produce one gallon of oil the Envion Oil Generator may bring us one step closer to energy independence while reducing plastic waste Technology to turn plastic waste into crude oil soon in RP Written by Purple S Romero TUESDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2009 US company eyeing joint venture and LGU partners here A technology to convert plastic waste into crude oil will be unveiled in the United States on Friday before it is introduced in Manila before the month ends Developed by Environmental Vision Envion a company chaired by former US Defense Minister Frank Carlucci the oil generator accomplishes the twin purposes of cleaning up the environment and helping supply America s petroleum requirements The oil generator reportedly has the capacity to produce 3 5 barrels of refined petroleum product from 10 000 tons of plastic waste annually Envion s Filipino executive will be in Manila before end September Pio Goco the company s vice president for business development will introduce the technology to prospective joint venture partners local government units and non government organizations here Barrels of oil The proprietary technology works by extracting hydrocarbons an organic compound made up of carbon and hydrogen and a component of crude oil from plastic waste without a catalyst a substance which accelerates chemical reaction Plastic production eats 8 percent of the world s oil production 4 percent for the raw material or feedstock and 4 percent for the manufacture Envion calculated that discarded plastic contains a considerable amount of energy almost similar to gasoline and 51 percent more than that of coal In 2007 the US produced 58