Julian Brown, a 22-year-old inventor from Alabama, is turning heads with a backyard setup that turns plastic trash into what he calls “plastoline.” Using a solar-powered microwave pyrolysis reactor built from scratch, Brown zaps plastic scraps bags, bottles, jugs breaking them down into a crude oil-like sludge. This goo then goes through vacuum distillation using everyday equipment until it emerges as a fuel alternative close enough to gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
The DIY rig runs off solar and generator power, powered by multiple microwave magnetrons scavenged and rewired to cook plastic waste for hours at a time. The whole operation takes place over a gravel driveway and looks far from a corporate lab.
Brown’s passion is clear he wants to solve the massive plastic pollution problem while creating renewable fuel. But this backyard alchemy is not without challenges. Pyrolysis itself is known technology, explored commercially for decades, though usually in industrial plants. Scaling, safety, efficiency, and fuel consistency remain major hurdles. Plus, homemade stills like these can be dangerous, with risks of explosion if mishandled.
Even so, Brown’s “plastoline” just powered a carbureted classic truck in Houston, showing a glimpse of potential. His approach combines radical innovation with raw, scrappy grit channeling defiance against waste and traditional energy models.
Is it science or spectacle? Time, funding, and rigorous testing will tell. For now, Brown’s solar-powered innovation ... it’s a messy, bold experiment testing how we manage waste and fuel our future.
