this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2025
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Crazy Ideas
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Just crazy ideas!
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I always like the semi-sci fi idea of the universal recycler. It's a method of recycling that relies entirely on known science and technology, but is simply impractical in the current economy.
The idea is that you literally turn everything into a plasma and then separate it down into base elements via magnetic separation. On one end, you input nearly anything - regular trash, construction waste, "recyclables," medical waste, decommissioned biological weapons - it doesn't matter. It all gets torn down to base elements and sold back into the economy. The only waste this method couldn't deal with would be nuclear waste, as magnetic separation isn't going to magically make unstable nuclei stable again.
This would totally work in principle. It's just incredibly energy-intensive. You need an economy where either the cost of energy is much much lower, or people are willing to spend much more in order to dispose of waste. It would enable the complete recycling of nearly anything, but it would just require an ungodly amount of energy.
This is essentially plasma gasification with an extra step at the end to sort the end product. Plasma gasification has been done commercially for decades (although it is still very niche). Some facilities are actually net energy producers. The main economic challenge at this point is really just the capital investment.
The separation on the backend would not be easy. But I suppose it is quite similar to that. This has the benefit that it doesn't emit anything or generate any waste on at all. It literally processes everything back into its pure base elements. It is a true universal recycler. It's something that could really help make that utopian vision of a true circular economy possible.
I'm not sure it would truly be waste free though if it separates everything into its base elements.
Things like wood are useful because they are made of molecules that end up as a useful material. Its base elements are much less useful.
You could use the hydrogen and oxygen but you would probably end up with a lot of extra carbon that no one on the market would need and then have to dispose of it somehow.