Whole Network Most Recent TOP10 Capital Investing H2 Nuclear Solar

 

Can You Burn Plastics?

Filed in archive Alternative Energy by Reden Rodriguez on August 24, 2006

Can You Burn Plastics?
Can you burn plastics? This is a very old question that has not really been answered. Some people think that burning plastics in wood stoves, furnaces, or in open fires is better than burying plastics in land fills. But this practice produces a lot of pollution and health hazards that cannot be ignored.

Let's break the problem down to size. Burning garbage produces unpredictable results when burned together. This is because garbage contains so many components that when burned, simply changes chemical form. The resulting pollutants are therefore always unknown. When you burn plastics with paper and other materials, the chemicals on them may be released unto the atmosphere or left on the ground. These will find its way into the biological systems of plantslinks and animals and ultimately deposited into human cells and tissues. From there it may cause anything from simple allergies to more formidable conditions like Cancer.



One of the most dangerous pollutants that is produced as a result of garbage being burned together is a highly toxic chemical called Dioxin. According to Wood Heat, Dioxin does not decompose and builds up in tissues of animals and humans, and can be found in fat cells of cows and humans. The World Health Organization said

"Once dioxins have entered the environment or body, they are there to stay due to their uncanny ability to dissolve in fats and to their rock-solid chemical stability."

In incinerators, Dioxins can be destroyed but in open fires, it will be produced. To stop the incidence of toxins being produced, garbage must be segregated prior to burning.

Which leads me back to our original question, after segregating plastics from the other components of garbage (which must be recycled when applicable),can we burn them?

The answer is yes, several types of plastics can be burned. Toxins come from "Halogenated Plastics", those that are made from chlorine or fluorine, which clearly should not be burned. On the other hand, Polyethylene which is a common plastic and is not made from these chemicals can be burned. Polyethylene has the same heating value as oil and can be mixed with other fuel types easily (grounded and mixed thoroughly).

But why should we burn polyethylene, when it burns easily and produces black smoke and soot? Some researchers in India are looking at binding briquettes using polyethylene. Mixed with well ground agro-residue for use in high temperature combustion systems, polyethylene plastic can be used as a major component for char briquettes.

The most important reason for burning plastics this way is that when collected, sorted, and used as fuel, the amount of plastics used by one household on a daily basis is almost equal to the amount of plastics reused as fuel, thus solving an energy and a waste management concern.

Advertisement


Permalink: Can You Burn Plastics?
Tags: Plastic  Dioxin  Polyetheylene  Halogenated  Briquettes  Alternative  Energy  energy  burn+plastics 

Trackback: http://www.creative-weblogging.com/cgi-bin/mt-tb.pl/34210



Advertisement


Advertisement


CW ToolbarInstall
RSSrss   | See all blog subscribe options
Googlegoogle   |   What is RSS?
Yahoo!yahoo
AddthisAddThis Feed Button
BloglinesBloglines
Newsletter
Advertisement - Book yours here.

Use our search feature to look for other interesting posts

Just this blog Whole network
Advertisement -
Book yours here..


 
Advertisement
Book yours here.



  • Testimonials

  • I have been reading your blog for a few months now, and I really enjoy all the interesting information I am able to get from it. - Shion Deysarkar of Beyond Pollution, Inc.
  • Thank you for you interest in helping people be more aware of the number one problem of our earth - global warming - Twinkle Tismo
  • Hello! This grass absorbant is great, they should have all gas station floor like this so every month it can be disposed of so the environment does not get contaminated. I have to say, I really enjoyed reading your blog. It is hard to find a well written blog like this. - Jessica Kardon
  • Other blogs in the same channel in the Creative Weblogging Network

Advertisement -
Book yours here..






Advertisement - Book yours here..
 
Tagcloud: Alternative Energy Automobiles Base Effort Biofuel Biogas Biomass Capital Investing Carbon Neutral Clean Coal Current News Earth Science Edge Technology Electric Cars Energy Efficiency Fuel Prices Future Geothermal Global Climate H2 Hydro Market New Frontier Nuclear Opinion Peak Oil Political Renewable Energy Solar Storage Tide True Stories US Video Entry Wave Wind World