Get An Instant Valuation Now! Call 0800 689 3645

Is Fuel Made From Plastic The Future?

We’re hearing a lot in the news lately about how to reduce our plastic consumption and each day we are learning more about the benefits of reducing plastic waste.

A scientific breakthrough has shown that plastic waste could potentially fuel cars in the future.  Scientists have discovered a way to convert any kind of plastic waste into hydrogen fuel that could one day be used to power cars.

This new fuel would not be ready on an industrial level for years but if you’re looking to sell your car for any reason, including to get a new model with better fuel efficiency, then remember we will buy any car from you.

The discovery was made by scientists at Swansea University.  They made this discovery by adding a light-absorbing material to plastic and then by leaving in a solution that was exposed to sunlight.

This process could not only be beneficial to the planet’s sustainability, it could also be cheaper than recycling as the plastic doesn’t have to be cleaned first.

Dr Moritz Kuehnel who is from the university’s chemistry department has said that there is “a lot of plastic used every year – billions of tonnes – and only a fraction of it is being recycled.”  This is why they are trying to find new ways to use the plastic that isn’t being recycled. He has also said that this breakthrough is great as you don’t have to be picky with the plastic waste used for the project because all sorts of waste can be degraded.

We often can’t recycle packaging that has bits of food waste on it such as grease from a pizza, but this won’t matter when creating the fuel, in fact it may even enhance its performance.

The process of taking the plastic and placing it into an alkaline solution in sunlight created hydrogen.

This new fuel could take years to come,  in the UK already there have been slight changes to plastic consumption being made with the tax of the plastic bag.

The same work being carried out by the scientists which have been funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and also by an Austrian petrochemical company has shown that the remains of plastic could be recycled to make new plastic.

We think that this new fuel would be a great step forward for a sustainable future, especially after recent emission issues with brands such as VW.