Thermal depolymerization (TDP) is a depolymerization process using hydrous pyrolysis for the reduction of complex organic materials (usually waste products of various sorts, often biomass and plastic) into light crude oil. It mimics the natural geological processes thought to be involved in the production of fossil fuels. Under pressure and heat, long chain polymers of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon decompose into short-chain petroleum hydrocarbons with a maximum length of around 18 carbons.
The above is an excerpt from Wikipedia. This process caught my attention when I saw the video on YouTube. At the first glance, the process seems amazing and a potential answer to North America's reliance on foreign oil sources. After doing some independent research on the subject, I found that, like with anything new, there's a lot of opinions on this matter both positive and negative. Some opponents of the technology argue that the process isn't cost-effective enough to be the solution we're looking for with respect to Green Energy. However, it would also seem to me that, if this process is a answer to energy needs, the oil companies (and the government being pressured by industry lobbyists) would not want this technology to go mainstream because it would cut into their profits and, ultimately, destroy (or replace) the current oil industry altogether.
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