WEBVTT Chemical Conversion of Plastic Waste into Fuel NOTE generated by youtube-vtt https://github.com/benwiley4000/youtube-vtt 1 00:00:00.150 --> 00:00:03.040 - You can hardly go by a day without 2 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:05.170 using a plastic product. 3 00:00:05.170 --> 00:00:08.300 The problem is that only a small percentage 4 00:00:08.300 --> 00:00:11.700 is really recycled and reused. 5 00:00:11.700 --> 00:00:16.300 This exponential growth and accumulation is very bad 6 00:00:16.300 --> 00:00:19.370 for the environment, especially the waste in the oceans. 7 00:00:19.370 --> 00:00:23.847 We'll have more plastic waste than fish by 2050. 8 00:00:23.847 --> 00:00:25.530 (gentle piano music) 9 00:00:25.530 --> 00:00:29.770 So once the waste gets into oceans it's irreversible 10 00:00:29.770 --> 00:00:34.053 because the cost of cleaning the ocean is enormous. 11 00:00:35.533 --> 00:00:38.971 (machine humming) 12 00:00:38.971 --> 00:00:42.780 It's called hydrothermal liquefaction. 13 00:00:42.780 --> 00:00:46.470 The polymers will sort of melt in the high temperature 14 00:00:46.470 --> 00:00:49.540 and dissolve in the super-critical water, 15 00:00:49.540 --> 00:00:52.490 and then, in this state, they can convert 16 00:00:52.490 --> 00:00:56.680 into oil or monomers or gas. 17 00:00:56.680 --> 00:01:01.120 It's a very versatile, powerful technique. 18 00:01:01.120 --> 00:01:04.850 If we can convert this into valuable, useful products, 19 00:01:04.850 --> 00:01:06.510 that will create a driving force 20 00:01:06.510 --> 00:01:09.540 to reduce the plastic waste accumulation, 21 00:01:09.540 --> 00:01:13.012 and also reduce associated risk to the environment. 22 00:01:13.012 --> 00:01:16.095 (gentle piano music)