In most parts of the world, plastic is an enormous source of pollution. Some of these plastics are dumped into landfill sites while others are thrown into water bodies. Nevertheless, plastics are indeed useful in our daily living, as most of our material resources are derived from them.
What are plastics?
Plastics are synthetic polymers made from petroleum. They majorly contain carbon and hydrogen with similar energy content as conventional diesel.
Every year, over 300 million tonnes of plastics are produced. Half of these plastics are used to design single-use items such as cups and shopping bags. Of all the plastics manufactured, at least 8 million tonnes are found floating on the oceans and causing harm to the environment.
If we take a closer look at plastics, we would realise that we have been wasting what could become a clean source of energy. They are very valuable in the sense that they can be converted directly into useful forms of energy through a process called pyrolysis.
Pyrolysis is a process used to decompose a material by passing it through heat, electricity, or fuels. The decomposed material is then applied in use in another form. Cold plasma pyrolysis, a form of pyrolysis is used to convert waste plastics into substances like hydrogen and methane which can further be used as a clean fuel.
Moreover, with the development of renewable energy, the conversion of these plastic materials would go a long way in the provision of energy for electricity, and also sustain the environment.
To meet our nation’s energy and environmental goals, Nigeria needs a comprehensive energy policy. A strategy that will diversify our nation’s energy sources, to include renewable and alternative sources such as energy recovery from plastics. If this energy source is tapped, it could expand the already existent energy sources in the country and thus improve our deficient electric grid power generation.