Let's change the world. I've got an idea!
Sometimes, the world around me seems to be imploding. I
leave my house and watch people trying to get by buried under the stress of
poverty. I see cars putting poisonous substances into the air we breathe. There’s
trash everywhere, especially in a country like ours that hasn’t been faring
well on the cleanliness scales. Our tigers are vanishing. Trees are being
sacrificed to allow for more places to accommodate an ever-growing population.
Our women and children are more vulnerable than ever.
Problems. Problems. Problems.
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| The future of the world looks quite bleak given our consumption patterns and global population levels. |
The world is so plagued by more than what’s listed above that
trying to focus on the good or what can be good seems harder day by day. When I
think of the future, I can’t bring myself to imagine what kind of an
environment the generations to come will grow up in. And that, to me, is the
saddest part about it all- we don’t know what we will be leaving behind and if
that will ever be enough for those who will follow us.
I’m sure most of us can’t check our phones or any form of media without reading or watching something about how our race is doomed. Every four months or so, some news organization will publish an article about how the end of the world is just here according to a ‘scientific study’. Then, someone will go ahead and write a dystopian novel or make a movie on it.
All of this makes me wonder: what can we do that will change
the world? Is there something we haven’t seen yet? Is there a bowling ball-like
solution to an issue which can knock down many pins in one go?
It’s funny how the idea for an answer to these questions even came to me.
During my break, I went on a late-night drive with my cousins to this place where we like to go for cold coffee, hot chocolate and some amazing chilli chicken. As we were sipping on our beverages, I looked out of the window and saw the amount of plastic cups and packets that were littered on the road. Of course, my first thought was, “So much for ‘Swacch Bharat’. But, sarcasm aside, I said to my cousins, “What if we could do more with all this plastic? What if it can be used to solve another crisis?”
That’s when one of them replied, “They should seriously find a way to convert this into fuel. Imagine that.”
That’s when it struck me. This idea made so much sense! If we could take all this trash, separate the non-recyclable plastic and find a way to use it to generate petrol, we would be solving so many problems in a go! So, like a true millennial, my first instinct was to go on google.
It’s funny how the idea for an answer to these questions even came to me.
During my break, I went on a late-night drive with my cousins to this place where we like to go for cold coffee, hot chocolate and some amazing chilli chicken. As we were sipping on our beverages, I looked out of the window and saw the amount of plastic cups and packets that were littered on the road. Of course, my first thought was, “So much for ‘Swacch Bharat’. But, sarcasm aside, I said to my cousins, “What if we could do more with all this plastic? What if it can be used to solve another crisis?”
That’s when one of them replied, “They should seriously find a way to convert this into fuel. Imagine that.”
That’s when it struck me. This idea made so much sense! If we could take all this trash, separate the non-recyclable plastic and find a way to use it to generate petrol, we would be solving so many problems in a go! So, like a true millennial, my first instinct was to go on google.
To my wonder (not really), I’m not the first one who thinks this idea
could change the world. Duh! There were so many articles that I found online
which said that an idea like this could have a positive ripple effect. Turning
waste into energy has been on the minds of environmentalists the world over for
quite some time, but barely any strides have been made to uniquely focus on the
plastic that cannot be recycled at a larger scale. Imagine if we could use all
the 300 million tonnes of plastic waste we produce each year, harness its
chemical energy and turn it into fuel that can make our world function!
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| We live on an active minefield of problems. |
Now, to do this is important because crude oil, which is our
primary source of fuel, is finite. We have overused something that took
millions of years to form under the earth. So, it’s not a surprise that the
abuse meted out must come back to us in some form.
When we will run out of oil reserves is a matter of debate and
disagreement. However, the fact remains that even if they don’t run out
immediately, the shortage of the same makes it more and more expensive to
extract, process and export. If this trend continues, acquiring fuel will
become costly and inaccessible to many after a certain point. As such, the
world over there is immense hue and cry over decreasing the pressure on fossil
fuels and finding natural energy resources which are not only renewable but
also infinite.
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| Most of the non-recyclable plastic is in landfills. |
Research suggests that there are ways to harness the energy
in plastic that is mostly present in landfills and not really recycled for
further use. It has potential and scientists have been discussing the possible
benefits of the same for a while now. The process is fairly plausible.
There are two types of recycling: mechanical and chemical.
In this case, chemical recycling can be used to harness the inherent energy in
plastic and turn it into an energy carrier instead. Using either gasification,
i.e. heating it in air to turn it into synthetic gas, or pyrolysis, i.e.
heating in the absence of oxygen to produce oil similar to crude oil, we can,
in fact, recycle. These processes can generate fuels can be further refined and
used in transportation.
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| Plastic into fuel could change the course of our future. |
The benefits are many. Not only will be able to use an
alternative source for energy, thereby reducing the pressure on already
overburdened fossil fuels, but it will also emanate fewer toxic fumes as the sulphur content in
plastics is low. Communities could establish plants and harness the power of
the plastic locally and generate their own fuel. It would remove a significant
portion of waste that is currently accumulating in our biosphere with nowhere
else to go. Perhaps, a cleaner ocean too would not be unimaginable. Lastly, it
would help significantly drop the prices of petrol and diesel.
For Indians battling the current petrol and diesel rates,
perhaps this idea could offer some relief, couldn’t it?
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| Oil prices are currently at an all time high. Alternative fuel sources can combat this trend. |
So, taking the larger picture into view, I do believe that
this idea has immense potential. In fact, there are a few plants in Japan, Hong
Kong, UK etc. that are trying to further this process for the future. There’s
scope for reducing poverty in some way too by providing gainful employment in
these plants.
The ripple effect just goes on and on.
In conclusion, I hope there is a day where this process
could become the norm. I am not a scientist nor am I aware about the various
technical aspects involved in the process. Hence, to comment on its long-term
viability is not my area of expertise. But hey, the first person who thought of
drilling the earth for oil probably felt a little crazy too. And in this case,
I know I’m not the only one!
Let me know in the comments if you think this idea or any other
idea could change the world! I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts J
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