Clean Oceans Project, E-N-ergy bring plastic-to-fuel to Monterey

In California, Santa Cruz-based nonprofit Clean Oceans Project has teamed up with a Japanese manufacturer and a San Jose distributor, E-N-ergy, to bring plastic-to-fuel technology to the Monterey Bay.

The project was founded three years ago by ocean conservationists Nick Drobac and Jim “Homer” Holm, who hope to convince investors and donors of the feasibility of cleaning up plastic pollution and creating fuel simultaneously. The proposed solution addresses one of the world’s largest environmental problems, non-biodegradable plastic that blocks landfills and waterways, strangles wildlife and contaminates food sources.

Using a 110-pound demonstration model from Blest Co. Ltd., the oceans project recently illustrated how a few pounds of roadside plastic litter can be fed into the pressurized oxygen-free oven and heated to 800 degrees Fahrenheit. The process liquefies the plastic, converts it to a gas, which then condenses to form a mixture of gasoline, diesel, kerosene and heavy oil.

The components can be further refined to road fuels or used directly in boilers as heating oil, in generators, or some diesel vehicles that already use biodiesel. The end products consist of water vapor, inert char, which can be reused as fuel, and negligible amounts of carbon dioxide equal to less than one adult breathing.