Dive Brief:

• With over one trillion plastic bags used annually across the globe, and the US alone going through 100 billion, it is no wonder that plastic bags are the most common type of trash found in oceans. 
• The University of Illinois is in the midst of devising a method to convert the bags into petroleum-based products using pyrolysis: placing the bags into an environment without oxygen, and heating it. 
• The outcome is expected to yield everything from diesel and natural gas to waxes and lubricants. 

Dive Insight:

Many cities throughout the world are considering or have implemented bag bans; many have started charging for usage. Now, researchers are finding additional ways to reduce the plethora of bags introduced into the environment.

Although transforming bags into fuel isn't a new concept, the method being used by these researchers is. The fuels produced meet national standards for ultra-low-sulphur diesel fuels. Testing has revealed that combustion qualities and lubrication are better than #2 diesel the fuel was compared to. Researchers also believe that 80% of the original fuel can be recovered through this new methodology.