Stupid chemistry and recycling question.

[Skidmore]

Pardon my ignorance, but I'm not a chemist. I have a question about plastics, which I know come from petroleum. Can some useable variation of petroleum be reconstituted from plastics? Please don't laugh because I don't know and I'm asking what I already believe to be a stupid question.

[formercia]

1. Yes

The problem arises in getting a consistent feed stock. The process would have to be adjusted as the input material changes.

Plastics, for the most part are best recycled as is. They are usually mixed with virgin material and reused. Again, care has to be taken to ensure that you mix the right type, otherwise a very expensive machine could be damaged.

The big cost is the labor required to separate the types and grades.

In my younger days, I worked for a plastics recycler. You have to know what you're dealing with.

[skids]

2. Yes. They are doing it in Australia.

...or close to it at least. I forget whether the plant is in operation yet but one of the transesterification/thermal-depolimerization companies was far along enough to have an operational line:

http://www.google.com/search?as_q=australia+plastics+to+fuel&hl=en&num=10&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&as_rights=&safe=images

[Eurobabe]

3. there is no such thing as a stupid question n/t

:hi:

Anything plastic in Germany has some kind of tax on it, containers, bins, bottles are all horrendously expensive when compared to the cheap plastic everything in the United States. And boy, does it do a body good to recycle everything. For once my conscience is CLEAN!

[applegrove]

4. I know someone who got a new carpet made out of pop bottle plastic. Nice carpet.