Indian Institute of Petroleum sets up plant to turn plastic waste into diesel

Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) has set up a waste plastic to diesel plant in Dehradun (capital of Uttarakhand) as a step towards ensuring freedom from plastic. It was inaugurated by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science and Technology and Trivendra Singh Rawat, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.

Key Highlights

Process: In the waste plastic to diesel plant set up in IIP, scientists will process waste plastics into fuel.

The plant has a capacity to produce 800-litre diesel from 1 tonne of plastic. The plastic used will be collected with the help of NGOs.

Benefits: By producing diesel out of plastic waste on a large scale, the plant beside being a good step towards freedom from plastic also reduces India’s dependence on other countries for petroleum products.

Significance: The plant has been set up at a time various countries are working towards a plastic-free world. This is yet another achievement of IIP after successfully producing biofuel for aircraft.

About Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP)

It is one of the constituent laboratories of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), dedicated to Research & Developmet (R&D) in hydrocarbon sector.

It was established in 1960.

Function: It develops processes and products for petrochemical industries and petroleum refining, training of personnel in oil and petrochemical industries, as well as assisting in formulation of standards for petroleum products.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2019