It is a problem bedevilling households across the UK: what can we do with the mountains of food-spattered plastic waste left in our bins? Now a group of scientists say they have the answer – by using the detritus of domestic life to heat homes.
Researchers at the University of Chester have found a way to use dirty plastic waste to produce hydrogen, which can heat homes and fuel cars without producing greenhouse gas emissions. The process uses a glass kiln, heated to 1,000C, to instantly break down unrecyclable plastic to release a mix of gases including hydrogen.
The university researchers developed the project alongside Powerhouse Energy, which hopes to take the technology to Japan and south-east Asia, where hydrogen-fuelled buses are already on the roads.
Powerhouse Energy Group PLC (LON:PHE) has developed the innovative PHE DMG® System, their proprietary thermal conversion technology. DMG® technology provides a mechanism to dispose of a wide range of waste streams by using them as feedstock that can be converted to EcoSynthesis Gas.
