>hence the cycle is net exo You mean to say net Exxon? Thermodynamics is a bitch. Combustion of the pyrolysis oil, which is the oil the plastic is turned int

>hence the cycle is net exo You mean to say net Exxon? Thermodynamics is a bitch. Combustion of the pyrolysis oil, which is the oil the plastic is turned into by the pyrolysis process, is not much different than burning any other oil to release the stored energy. The problem is that making the pyoil from the plastic as a "recycling" method takes more energy than it is worth. That's whether money is involved or not, even though the oil itself is worth way more money than the raw waste plastic (whch is about zero to negative as solid waste). Burning pyoil on its own is a gross positive energy source, but when you figure all the energy wasted actually pyrolyzing the plastic to begin with before it turns into oil, you'd be better off burning the plastic directly. Since the pyrolysis process on its own is very gross negative, consumes energy not releases it. It's just thermodynamics, you can't fool Mother Nature. And I'm talking really gross, more toxic than crude oil too and you really don't want to smell it. A spill has a lingering odor far worse than most crude oils, even though some crudes can be deadly at first if it has high H2S. Since H2S is a gas and dissipates relatively quickly once spilled. However the final pyoil product comes in the same kind of tank barges and tankcars as crude oil, and some traders can now handle it like this which is not possible for solid waste. Turns out combustion and pyrolysis are two different animals. Who knew? Too bad Google may not help with things like this any more. >pyrolysis itself is endothermic, clearly, since polymerization is extothermic. There are also classes in logic for anyone who is seriously interested. Also, most places already have plenty of taxes that are very insane already, you want to tax people's mental health even more? ;) The more you understand about thermodynmics, the more of a bitch you realize it is.