Seven years ago, Kenya imposed a ban on manufacturing and importation of plastic carrier bags.

Tens of millions of plastic bags were handed out in supermarkets every year in Kenya polluting the environment and clogging up drainage systems contributing to floods in rainy seasons.

Unfortunately, PET plastic bottles have emerged as the new ‘king of trash’.

According to the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP), Every day, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans, rivers, and lakes.

In Kenya, apart from water bodies, PET plastic bottles are an eyesore in drainages, landfills, land and other open grounds.

UNEP adds that plastic production will increase by 40 per cent in the next 10 years. 

“If we don’t do anything about the plastic, oceans will carry more plastic than fish (by weight) by 2050,” The United Nations warns that marine life will be irreparably destroyed.

To address this global menace, James Muritu, an Engineer from Kenol in Murang’a County is producing fuel from plastic bottles through pyrolysis.

Muritu, who spent over 20 years building software and hardware systems, uses locally available assembled reactors to turn plastic into fuel.

Plastic liquid

“The dream of producing fuel was born accidentally. Initially I used to produce cabro paving blocks and during the process, the plastic liquid caught fire,” Muritu said.

The liquid catching fire ignited Muritu’s curiosity and got interested in studying the chemistry composition of the plastic.

“I learnt plastics are from hydrocarbons and it was possible for us to produce fuel from them, since then, I have never turned back,” he said.

To produce fuel, Muritu and his partner Micheal Nthenge constructed a reactor from locally available materials.

He explained that he first received plastics from women, youths and scrap yard dealers.

Regulate temperatures

“The large plastics are washed and shredded into small pieces before putting them into a furnace which is tightly closed to ensure it is free of oxygen,” he said.

The materials are heated in two cycles determined by different temperatures, the process is pyrolysis.

 Through pyrolysis, the plastic is heated to extremely high temperatures, between 300 degrees centigrade and 900 degrees centigrade, with a lack of oxygen. 

This causes it to break down into smaller molecules and transform it into pyrolysis oil or gas. “We regulate temperatures to either come up with a petrol equivalent or a diesel equivalent. The first cycle produces heavy fuel or crude oil and the second one refines the product,” he said.

Muritu says pyrolysis is an ecologically friendly and cost-effective technology for recovering energy from waste plastic that is used to reuse plastic waste as a source of energy for fuel production while also being environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

Rigorous tests

“Our diesel fuel variant that’s currently sold as a diesel fuel blend has undergone rigorous tests by the Kenya Bureau of Standards and was issued a Quality Standard mark in December 2023,” he said.

Since February when the production and commercialisation started, Muritu currently produces 500 to 1000 litres a day. “Our customers are farmers, bona body riders and a few lorry owners. It has not been easy to convince people to trust our fuel because initially, my vehicle used to stall regularly after using it,” he revealed.

But after several years of research and fine tuning the process, the quality has been ascertained and motorists are getting value for money. “Our prices are friendly and those who are using the product say that it lasts longer than other fuels,” he said.

Muritu reveals that, in the months of July last year to January this year, they collected and used 5770 kilograms of plastic saving the planet from greenhouses gases.