This Kerala Man Produces Fuel From Plastic Waste

This inventor claims to create fuel from plastic waste at a production cost of just Rs 10.

Sreejith Veettil Shreedharan converts solid plastic waste to cost-effective fuel (Photo: AP Horizon)

SV Sreedharan, a Kerala based inventor believes that he has the solution for the country’s two biggest problems: The huge amount of plastic waste accumulation and the shortage of affordable fossil fuel options.

With the use of a simple technology called pyrolysis which decomposes complex molecules using heat, Shreedharan claims to have found a way of turning the plastic waste to cheap fuel. The scale of the experiment might be small but has huge potential as he say he can produce 1 litre of fuel with a production cost of only 10 rupees, giving a cost-effective fossil fuel alternative to the masses.

With an increasing need for alternative fuel options to boost the Indian economy, Kodungallar municipality has decided to increase the capacity of Sreedharan's pyrolysis plant and use methane gas obtained from biogas plants for heating.

Sreedharan has already applied for a patent for his invention and has sent a sample to petrochemical companies for quality testing. Similar plastic-to-fuel technologies are also being tried out in other countries. If found economically and ecologically feasible, this innovative method can prove to be a boon in meeting India’s growing energy needs.

Video Editor: Mohd Ibrahim