Two Attariya youths produce petrol from plastics

By Abinash Chaudhary,Dhangadhi, Sept. 21: Believe it or not, two youths, Ramprasad Joshi and Purna Prasad Chaulagain, of Godawari Municipality-2, Attariya, Kailali district, have produced diesel and petrol by processing plastic. 

They have successfully tested the production of petroleum products from plastic after continuous efforts and research for two years. 

"Earlier, we tested plastic processing in a small machine", said Joshi, "Now, we have started processing it by installing a big machine that can handle 14-15 kg of plastic in a go."

According to him, 14 to 15 kg of plastic thrown away as waste is kept in a machine and processed for two to two and a half hours to produce 11 to 12 litres of crude oil. Joshi said that after refining 12 litres of crude oil in the refining machine, 60 per cent diesel and 40 per cent petrol could be produced.

He said that in the future, the work would be undertaken with the goal of producing petroleum products commercially from plastic by obtaining permission from the government.

 He said that when one litre of petrol produced from plastic was put in an old Discover motorcycle of 2011, it gave a mileage of 45 km. "We have tested the produced petrol by using it on old motorcycles only," he said.

How possible it is After seeing plastic waste everywhere in the city, Joshi, who studied IT, became curious about what is the sustainable solution to plastic waste. 

While researching what was being done in different countries to manage plastic waste, it was found that most of the countries process plastic waste and make petroleum products.

"After studying about it, my friend and I tried together here," he said, "It was successful." Joshi claimed that producing petrol could be the best option for plastic waste management. 

According to him, as crude oil is made from the carbon monoxide in the plastic, CO2 gas is not released during processing. 

He said that as petroleum products are made from CO2, it is the most suitable non-polluting option for plastic management. 

According to Joshi, plastic waste will also be managed and petroleum products will also be obtained from this work.

The use of plastic has been prohibited in both Godawari Municipality, which is designated as the permanent capital of Sudhurpashchim Province, and Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan Municipality, which is the temporary capital. 

However, there is a need for plastic management. 

Even though Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City has sorted out the waste, including plastic and turned it into cash, no such action has been taken in Godawari Municipality.

Joshi said that the test has been successful by spending Rs. 1 million individually for the management of plastic waste and the production of petroleum products from it. 

He said, "We have not asked for help from any agency for this work. We have been testing at personal expense.”

Mahesh Mahar, a resident of Attariya, said that the work of two youths to produce petroleum products from plastic was highly commendable.