Write civil: Elizabeth Royte
A conveyer belt will mix plastic send toward an optical grader.
Photography: Randy Olson, nat Geo Image Collection
If we do not want to see plastic rubbish hangs Man Shuzhi, float Yu Haiyang is circumfluent, perhaps jam seabird and cetacean intestines and stomach, so how should we handle more and more plastic rubbish?
According to a report that world economy forum issues, future in 20 years, plastic crop predicts to will break up one time. Meanwhile, of Europe plastic reclaim rate wander in 30% the left and right sides, the United States has 9% only, in a lot of developing countries, this is occupied for 0 or adjacent 0.
This year in January, company of much home petrifaction and consumable company formed alliance of terminative and plastic rubbish, include Ike dark among them company of chemistry of family name of Petroleum Company, contented, Daodaershi is oily chemical company, housing card company, Xue Folong Feilisi chemical industry and Bao Jie company. This alliance is affirmatory 5 years in future 1.5 billion dollar solves li of denounce endowment plastic pollution problem. Their target is support replaces material and deferent system, further progress is plastic reclaim project, and the technology that popularizes fuel of will plastic translate into or the sources of energy.
Advanced incinerator can burn plastic with other city rubbish, produce enough quantity of heat and vapour to come then drive turbine lamina, generate electricity for local electrified wire netting. Restrict organic waste material to filled the European Union that bury to had handled the rubbish of nearly 42% with combustion means, the United States burned the rubbish of 12.5% . Say according to world energy board, rubbish burns generate electricity the industry is in in the near future in may grow steadily, be in Asia-Pacific area especially. China had built about 300 rubbish to burn power plant, still a few a hunderd schools are in in construction.
"As like China such country rejects to receive foreign rubbish, the rubbish with overweight burden reclaims the industry cannot catch up with the speed of plastic pollution, burn will make a kind of simple choice increasingly, " the John Hocevar say that green peace organizes.
Burn whether is rubbish a tweak?
Combustion is plastic rubbish sounds very reasonable with producing the sources of energy: After all, plastic be be made by the hydrocarbon and become, resemble oil same, and the energy density that compares coal is higher. But, in large-scale burn on the problem of rubbish, still put in a few obstacles.
Above all, burn for rubbish power plant optional location, resemble be being filled for rubbish like burying an optional location, very difficult: Be willing to be near the plant that everyday may hundreds dumpcart moves back and forth back and forth without the person live. Normally the circumstance falls, these power plant can be built around low income community. From 1997 up to now, the United States built incinerator of a rubbish only.
Rubbish burns the construction of power plant and operation cost are very high also, because this photograph compares rubbish to fill,bury, they are opposite normally of dump rubbish collect fees taller. In addition, achieve highest moving efficiency as a result of ability of the power plant when trash in a steady stream is constant, its are possessory often need to import material from very distant place.
The electric power enough that large power plant produces is supplied by tens of thousands door family. Nevertheless, consider to make clear, reclaim plastic rubbish is more plastic than burning can save more the sources of energy with other life rubbish, because this action reduced extraction,fossil fuel machines his new plastic process.
Finally, rubbish burns power plant discharges low-level poisonous contaminant likely, for instance 2 evil flower, acidity gas and heavy metal. The syringe of modern plant use nicety, precipitator and filter will capture these compound, but point out carefully in a report of council of energy of world of no less than 2017 in that way, "Want rubbish to burn only power plant is operated correctly, control aspect of good platoon deflate, these technologies can act well. These technologies can act well..
A few experts are afraid, devoid environment law or the country that execute the law strictly may try to discharging the be economical on control. Besides, still have the greenhouse gas that produces continuously in cremate process. 2016, american rubbish burns the carbon dioxide that the factory discharges is 12 million tons about, among them half above comes from plastic.
Better burn means?
Another kind of method the sources of energy of trash translate into is aerification, fall in the case that has oxygen hardly namely, plastic and will fused below very high temperature (this is meant won't arise picture 2 evil flower with furan such toxin) . This process can produce a kind of synthesis gas that can be used at igniting turbine. Nevertheless, because natural gas is dog-cheap, aerification factory does not have competition ability.
Current, a kind of more magnetic technology is hot solution. According to this kind of technology, plastic be smashed below lower than aerification temperature and fuse, and oxygen is fewer even. High temperature decomposes plastic polymer smaller hydrocarbon, these hydrocarbons can be become by abstraction derv, it is other petrochemical even, include new-style and plastic. (Stop plastic rubbish alliance to include the company that heat up solution. (Stop plastic rubbish alliance to include the company that heat up solution..
Current, the United States has 7 dimensions to solve power plant to be in relative to lesser heat operation, among them a few still are in argumentation phase. Inside global limits, this technology is in it seems that outspread, guest of law of He Fei of Europe, China, India, Indonesia builds plant of solution having heat. Americanization learns council to estimate, the United States is OK operation heats up solution device 600 times, handle 30 tons everyday plastic, handle 6.5 million tons one year in all plastic left and right sides, 1/5 of 34.5 million tons of when still do not arise at present to the United States plastic rubbish.
Hot solution can handle most machinery to reclaim the plastic film that business cannot process, polybag and multilayer material, the say of father Priyanka Bakaya of Renewlogy company. Besides " the carbon dioxide of thimbleful " , hot solution won't produce harmful contaminant, her say.
On the other hand, critical personage weighs to hot solution is costly and immature technology. In the past in a few years, enterprise of many this kind of newly established holds water to close down again, cannot achieve pollution to control a standard, also cannot achieve technology and financial goal. Produce derv to still abandon plastic petty gain than using with fossil fuel.
Plastic whether be but renewable resources?
Use plastic is production fuel a kind but renewable resources? The European Union is so those who think: The European Union thinks to burn the sources of energy that a kind of any urban rubbish place that are a foundation with carbon produce is reproducible, because this is qualified,win subsidy. Nevertheless, plastic unlike lumber, paper or cotton in that way but second birth. Plastic either grow below sunshine come out: We are used from underground draw-out fossil fuel is made plastic, and the each pace in this one process causes pollution likely.
In addition, will plastic translate into is final will by flaming fuel, disobeyed an European Union to was adopted 2015 it seems that " circular economy " target, this target aims to use resource for long as far as possible, appeal 2030, all and plastic pack should achieve can repeat use, can reclaim may the standard of compost.
"Come out fossil fuel from subterranean exploitation when you, make with them plastic, next these plastic burn as the sources of energy, apparently this is not a loop, however a line, " the Rob Opsomer say of foundation of a twenty-five-stringed plucked instrument of A of Allan · Mack, this foundation devotes oneself to to promote the development of circular economy. Nevertheless, opsomer complement says, if heat up solution child to be used as material of new-style high quality (include durable and plastic) raw material, so hot solution can be regarded as the one share of circular economy.
The advocate of 0 trash is afraid, the method of the sources of energy of any translate into of will plastic rubbish is helpless be opposite at reducing the mankind the demand of new plastic product, more helpless Yu Huan solves climate to change. "Popularize these methods to be able to affect people dedicated at seeking real solution, " say of Claire Arkin of the person that the activity of alliance of global incinerator replacement scheme is popularized, true means of settlement is to let people reduce plastic use, more recycle and reclaim.
(translator: Roam about dog)
