African innovator turns plastic waste into liquid fuel

January, 15th 2020

African innovator has produced a locally assembled reactor that turns plastic waste into fuel such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene and domestic gas for homes in Ghana..

“Ghana spends [a lot of] money on plastic waste,” says Kantavooro. “When I was in the university as an engineer, I wanted to make a change. I started research into what the plastic waste could be used for and [how to] permanently get it out of the environmental system.”

Ghana produces 1.7 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with only two per cent being recycled, according to the United Nations Development Programme..

The West African country has been battling plastic pollution. Several of its gutters have been left choked by plastics, prompting the country to take bold steps to tackle the menace. Ghana formally joined the Global Plastic Action Partnership — an initiative dedicated to eradicating plastic waste and pollution worldwide — this year, thus becoming the first African nation to do so.

Ghana’s Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation is currently developing a national roadmap for sustainably managing and reducing the country’s plastic waste challenge as part of the partnership, while continuing to boost its economic growth.

Source: https://www.scidev.net/