FOY Group is planning a facility that will convert non-recyclable plastic into “road-ready diesel and petrol” in the Canberra suburb of Hume.
The ABC reports that the facility would be a world-first, using an Australian-patented technology to – unlike other technologies – produce fuel rather than something like crude oil. The end-of-life plastic would be diverted from landfill
“With our process, the plastic goes in one end and, with nothing else coming out in between, out the other end comes diesel and petrol,” technical director Bevan Dooley told the ABC.
“The diesel that we make is superior to standard diesel so when you combust the diesel in a truck, for example, it actually has a cleaner emissions profile.”
Public comment on the draft environmental impact statement is currently being sought, with deadline for this September 23.
According to the company’s website, output at the Hume site would be 200 tonnes a day of a fuel meeting Euro 4 and underground mining specifications. A tonne of plastic can create 1,062 litres of fuel.
It is also claimed that 30 full-time operations staff would be employed.