In a remarkable example of homegrown innovation and environmental leadership, Satish Kumar, a mechanical-engineering professor from Hyderabad, has developed a breakthrough solution for one of the world’s biggest problems — plastic waste.
Since 2016, Kumar has converted over 50 tons of non-recyclable plastic into usable fuel through a specialized three-step pyrolysis technique: heating, gasification, and condensation. The result? A clean-burning petrol substitute created from what would otherwise choke landfills and oceans.
Using approximately 200 kg of mixed plastic waste, his system produces around 200 litres of petrol per day, which he sells to local industries for just ₹40 per litre—nearly half the price of commercial petrol. Importantly, his process requires no large water usage, emits no harmful gases (thanks to its vacuum-based reaction chamber), and works with mixed plastics without the need for segregation, barring PVC and PET.
Beyond the technical achievement, Kumar’s work stands as a powerful reminder that environmental change doesn’t always need massive corporations or billion-dollar budgets. Sometimes, it begins with one person who refuses to wait.
His pioneering effort demonstrates that waste can become opportunity, and innovation can come from anywhere, inspiring a new generation to rethink sustainability in India and beyond.
