Are we being too hasty in shunning plastic that is an environmental nuisance, given that it takes hundreds of years to decompose? For, hope could be around the corner.

A bunch of techies from BIT-Sindri is inching closer to turning plastic wastes and used bottles, CDs, mobile handsets and electronic trash into grease and automobile as well as domestic fuel.

Having garnered all necessary data and wound up the theoretical part, the 11-member team of final-year students of mechanical engineering is now working on fabrication of an equipment to start realising their target by the first week of May.

The project, Catalytic Pyrolysis of Plastic — as part of their curricula — was started by the students under the guidance of Rajan Kumar, a faculty member, in December last.

Manish Kumar, the team leader, said plastic wastes are a major cause of pollution, which is not helped by recycling. On the other hand, the technology devised by them would utilise the wastes better.

“At a time when the world is looking at alternative sources of energy due to limited use of non-renewable sources, our technology which is also eco-friendly can come as some sort of a relief to policy makers,” Manish said confidently.

It would also do away with the onerous task of waste disposal, he added.

The magic formula of the BIT students also promises to yield an impressive 99kg fuel from 100kg of plastic wastes.

Gaurav Kumar Singh, a member of the team, explained that plastic waste would be first converted into granular forms and then heated in the absence of oxygen in a steel vessel at a temperature of around 600 C to 700 C.

Once it melts, the vapour will be passed onto a tubular water-cooling container to be condensed and turned into fuel.

“As extreme levels of heating are needed for melting the plastic into liquid, a catalyst also has to be added,” he said, pointing out that they were not sure about the composition of the catalyst yet.

Manish said the initial costs of setting up the equipment might be high, adding that the technology would be economically viable with the start of commercial production. “After we successfully produce the fuel, we will test its calorific value in the laboratory to gauge its commercial use,” he said.

He conceded that the technology was not entirely new, as Japan and a few other nations were using similar methods to produce fuel from plastic wastes.

“But as they do not share the patented technology, we are developing our own formula,” he said, adding that they had also talked to a supplier in Dhanbad for procuring wastes.

The team will spend around Rs 1 lakh by the time they complete the project. “Though we initially expected a bill of be around Rs 30,000 to 40,000, the costs have risen. We are also looking for sponsors,” Manish said.

Other members of the team are Tarun Kumar, Niraj Kumar, Kumar Abhishek, Mannu Chaudhary, Prakash Ranjan, Kartik Prasad, Nikhil Kumar Jha, Pawan Kumar and Nawneet Kumar.