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I remember nearly two decades ago a PopSci article about some guy who figured out how to use microwaves to convert plastic (any hydrocarbon) into oil and natura

I remember nearly two decades ago a PopSci article about some guy who figured out how to use microwaves to convert plastic (any hydrocarbon) into oil and natural gas. More than enough to break even. He was converting tires and waste plastic. Nothing ever came of it - IIRC, ownership disputes with the partner, and eventually the patent got purchased by some random company and blackholed. Edit: found a source. Better than popsci. https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12141-giant-microwave-turns-plastic-back-to-oil/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12141-giant-microwave...

Laaas 4y ago
I'm surprised that people didn't replicate his work in countries that don't respect Western patents.
- koheripbal 4y ago
  Because there is no way it was economical. This is no different than a startup founder talking about his new AI crypto fund. BS exists in every industry.
- elromulous 4y ago
  Those countries probably don't care about recycling.
  - kulahan 4y ago
    If you can find an economical way to recycle plastic, it would be an insanely lucrative business opportunity. It has nothing to do with their views on the environment.
jp57 4y ago
Shouldn't it be almost out of patent by now?
csours 4y ago
Just like the "water carburetor" and other miracles that never materialized, the problem is that the alternative is cheaper and simpler (which means cheaper). It doesn't sound expensive to add water injection to an internal combustion engine, until you have to make it work in production, with end users. YOU can make it work, because you are motivated, but what about the guy who buys it because it's cool and then forgets to fill the system. Sure it's easy to add programming to work around this condition, but is it easy to integrate and test? Anyway, crude oil is very, very cheap, and very easy to integrate into a production process. Waste plastic in the recycling stream is dirty and heterogeneous in composition and size, which makes it hard to integrate into a production process. Not impossible, but more expensive, which means that no one will do it without outside compulsion (and maybe not even then).
- generalizations 4y ago
  Found some sources. See other comments. > the alternative is cheaper and simpler What's interesting is that it seems like the microwave version was the cheaper and simpler alternative. And the engineering problems were apparently solved, since they were building the product for their first deal, and were demoing the tech to the popsci reporter who visited. > Back at the shop, Pringle is still zapping new materials. A sample labeled “bituminous coal” goes in and, 15 seconds later, Pringle ignites the resulting gas. “You see,” he says, “why they might want to kill me.”
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - anonymouse008 4y ago
    In case anyone else is following along, a patent by Pringle has had a very intriguing set of assignments. Started out with the corporation by Pringle and Co in 2009, rest is below: 2009: GREENTECH ENERGY SOLUTIONS LTD. 2010: UNIVERSAL ALTERNATIVE FUELS, INC. 2011: GORTAGCH DEVELOPMENT LIMITED 2015: GREENTECH ENERGY SOLUTIONS LTD. Pringle also has a 2020 patent application pending that references the 2006 original filing. [Edit] Thank you forgot it 2006: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7629497B2/ https://patents.google.com/patent/US7629497B2/ 2020: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20200399541A1/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US20200399541A1/en
anonymouse008 4y ago
Was it this company by chance? https://www.qualitystocks.com/global-resource-corporation-inc-gbrcpk-announces-the-first-sale-of-their-recycling-machine/ https://www.qualitystocks.com/global-resource-corporation-in... I've been looking for a 'real machine' in the wild for some time now - have yet to see one.
- generalizations 4y ago
  Yup, that's the one. I think the tech got blackholed pretty effectively. https://archive.is/20120908120121/http://www.popsci.com/popsci/flat/bown/2007/innovator_2.html https://archive.is/20120908120121/http://www.popsci.com/pops...
notinfuriated 4y ago
Possibly a dumb question, but how much plastic exists in tires? I figured they were mostly natural rubber. Naturally, that must be outdated. From my own naive Google search on "how much plastic in the average tire", I see https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/tires-unseen-plastic-polluter https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/tires... says, highlighted by goog: > By 1931 the U.S. chemical company DuPont had industrialized the manufacturing of synthetic rubber. Today tires consist of about 19 percent natural rubber and 24 percent synthetic rubber, which is a plastic polymer.
- generalizations 4y ago
  Interesting. Synthetic rubber is still just hydrocarbons, so it would get converted back to oil/natgas just the same as the rest.
numlocked 4y ago
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is: https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=93867748 https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_... Edit: more context: the “inventor” is Frank Pringle who appears to have invented a number of too-good-to-be-true gizmos, including one for weight loss. Edit 2: also he claimed to cure cancer with microwaves (the same year as the oil producing microwaves): https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/-b-global-resource-corp-b-files-patents-to-treat-cancerous-tumors-with-its-microwave-technology-expanding-the-scope-of-its-revolutionary-microwave/?s=61 https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/-b-global-resource...

Laaas 4y ago

I'm surprised that people didn't replicate his work in countries that don't respect Western patents.

koheripbal 4y ago
Because there is no way it was economical. This is no different than a startup founder talking about his new AI crypto fund. BS exists in every industry.
elromulous 4y ago
Those countries probably don't care about recycling.
- kulahan 4y ago
  If you can find an economical way to recycle plastic, it would be an insanely lucrative business opportunity. It has nothing to do with their views on the environment.

jp57 4y ago

Shouldn't it be almost out of patent by now?

csours 4y ago

Just like the "water carburetor" and other miracles that never materialized, the problem is that the alternative is cheaper and simpler (which means cheaper). It doesn't sound expensive to add water injection to an internal combustion engine, until you have to make it work in production, with end users. YOU can make it work, because you are motivated, but what about the guy who buys it because it's cool and then forgets to fill the system. Sure it's easy to add programming to work around this condition, but is it easy to integrate and test? Anyway, crude oil is very, very cheap, and very easy to integrate into a production process. Waste plastic in the recycling stream is dirty and heterogeneous in composition and size, which makes it hard to integrate into a production process. Not impossible, but more expensive, which means that no one will do it without outside compulsion (and maybe not even then).

generalizations 4y ago
Found some sources. See other comments. > the alternative is cheaper and simpler What's interesting is that it seems like the microwave version was the cheaper and simpler alternative. And the engineering problems were apparently solved, since they were building the product for their first deal, and were demoing the tech to the popsci reporter who visited. > Back at the shop, Pringle is still zapping new materials. A sample labeled “bituminous coal” goes in and, 15 seconds later, Pringle ignites the resulting gas. “You see,” he says, “why they might want to kill me.”
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- anonymouse008 4y ago
  In case anyone else is following along, a patent by Pringle has had a very intriguing set of assignments. Started out with the corporation by Pringle and Co in 2009, rest is below: 2009: GREENTECH ENERGY SOLUTIONS LTD. 2010: UNIVERSAL ALTERNATIVE FUELS, INC. 2011: GORTAGCH DEVELOPMENT LIMITED 2015: GREENTECH ENERGY SOLUTIONS LTD. Pringle also has a 2020 patent application pending that references the 2006 original filing. [Edit] Thank you forgot it 2006: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7629497B2/ https://patents.google.com/patent/US7629497B2/ 2020: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20200399541A1/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US20200399541A1/en

anonymouse008 4y ago

Was it this company by chance? https://www.qualitystocks.com/global-resource-corporation-inc-gbrcpk-announces-the-first-sale-of-their-recycling-machine/ https://www.qualitystocks.com/global-resource-corporation-in... I've been looking for a 'real machine' in the wild for some time now - have yet to see one.

generalizations 4y ago
Yup, that's the one. I think the tech got blackholed pretty effectively. https://archive.is/20120908120121/http://www.popsci.com/popsci/flat/bown/2007/innovator_2.html https://archive.is/20120908120121/http://www.popsci.com/pops...

notinfuriated 4y ago

Possibly a dumb question, but how much plastic exists in tires? I figured they were mostly natural rubber. Naturally, that must be outdated. From my own naive Google search on "how much plastic in the average tire", I see https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/tires-unseen-plastic-polluter https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/tires... says, highlighted by goog: > By 1931 the U.S. chemical company DuPont had industrialized the manufacturing of synthetic rubber. Today tires consist of about 19 percent natural rubber and 24 percent synthetic rubber, which is a plastic polymer.

generalizations 4y ago
Interesting. Synthetic rubber is still just hydrocarbons, so it would get converted back to oil/natgas just the same as the rest.

numlocked 4y ago

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is: https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=93867748 https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_... Edit: more context: the “inventor” is Frank Pringle who appears to have invented a number of too-good-to-be-true gizmos, including one for weight loss. Edit 2: also he claimed to cure cancer with microwaves (the same year as the oil producing microwaves): https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/-b-global-resource-corp-b-files-patents-to-treat-cancerous-tumors-with-its-microwave-technology-expanding-the-scope-of-its-revolutionary-microwave/?s=61 https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/-b-global-resource...