Leave a Reply

Close comment box
25.10.2010

Plastic, fantastic

plastic_fantastic

From oil you came, and unto oil you shall return. Typically made from petroleum, plastic …

From oil you came, and unto oil you shall return. Typically made from petroleum, plastic has been found guilty on many extremely negative environmental impacts. Plastic’s carbon footprint includes landfilling and incineration, not to mention air and oceans pollution. It is estimated that 7% of the world’s annual oil production is used to produce and manufacture plastic: that is more than the oil consumed by the entire African continent.
Thankfully, there are those who fully appreciate that plastic has a higher energy value than anything else commonly found in the waste stream. This is not just about recycling: a Japanese company called Blest created a small, very safe and easy to use machine that can convert several types of plastic back into 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”, says Akinori Ito, CEO of Blest. \u2028
The fuel produced from the plastic conversion process (one liter from one kilogram of plastic) can be put to use immediately for stoves and generators, or can be further refined to be used as gasoline to power vehicles. A further benefit comes from the production of your own fuel locally, removing the carbon footprint that comes from transporting petroleum from distant countries. Although the real solution to the problem is to break our love affair with plastic, the home, as Ito himself believes, may be the oil field of the future.
The current tabletop model sells from Blest for $9,500.

  • 21.04.2012

    supercycleSupercycle our souls

    S.0.S. Which means “help, we’re about to be submerged with waste” – or more literally …

  • 20.04.2012

    controprogettoSustainable Fuorisalone

    Salone del Mobile, Fuorisalone and all other events revolving around the Design Week are a …

  • 02.04.2012

    orto_bikesSpring Cleaning

    Last week we spoke about London’s Bicycle Library, a creative way of spreading the bicycle …

  • 26.03.2012

    sushiSustainable sushi

    If turning a restaurant into a sustainable activity can be a hard job, running a …

  • 19.03.2012

    elettriche_1The future is electric

    There’s no denying it: gasoline cars are destined to be a dying breed. Not just …

  • 06.03.2012

    ternFreedom on two wheels

    Sustainable, portable and useful. That’s how the ideal means of transportation of the future should …

  • 21.02.2012

    ciclisti_2Save our Cyclists

    It all started last November, when 27-year-old journalist Mary Bowers was hit by a cement …

  • 09.02.2012

    potholeGuerrilla Gardening

    New York City, 1973. An abandoned lot in the Bowery Houston area suddendly turns into …

  • 01.02.2012

    eco_atmE-waste? No, thanks

    Everyone has an old cell phone sitting on the bottom of a drawer, be it …

  • 25.01.2012

    bike_friendlyA bike-friendly planet

    It tones up your body, does not produce polluting emissions, lets you ride with agility …

  • 10.01.2012

    radb1A German Miracle

    German people do love to ride bicycles, that’s a fact. Just spend one day in …

  • 14.12.2011

    econatale_2Green Christmas (part 2)

    Now that we’re all set with our low-impact decorations, all we need to do is …

  • 13.12.2011

    econatale_1Green Christmas (part 1)

    What about forgetting about White Christmas and making this Christmas a Green one instead? Let’s …

  • 05.12.2011

    monumentiThe sustainable landmark

    Can you imagine London or even Paris without the shining lights outlining their most beloved …

  • 19.08.2011

    forestInto the wild

    Timber for heating, paper for writing and land for agriculture. These apparently innocent human needs …

  • 02.08.2011

    solar_kitchenA Place in the Sun

    The only drawback is a high chance of bad weather. Otherwise, the Lapin Kulta Solar …

  • 04.07.2011

    dalstonOn the Rooftops of London

    There’s a place in London that most tourists would never imagine, a corner of countryside …

  • 17.05.2011

    il_pesoThe Weight of Energy

    Energy is paradoxical: it can be used for the best or for the worst. Starting …

  • 09.05.2011

    il_punto_sulle_ibrideHow hybrid cars work

    Less fuel consumption and better performances, without the drawbacks and discomforts of  LPG and natural …

  • 06.05.2011

    un_mare_daSaving the seas

    Radically reduced fish stocks, a third of the world’s coral destroyed, 405 “dead zones” and …