VOA慢速英语2012 Technology Report - Could Waste Plastic Reduce Our Need for Oil?

 

Technology Report - Could Waste Plastic Reduce Our Need for Oil?

科技报道 - 塑料制油技术是否可以减少美国的石油需求

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report in Special English.

这里是美国之音慢速英语科技报道。

The United States Environmental Protection Agency says only seven percent of plastic waste in the United States is recycled each year. A new company in northern New York says it can increase that percentage. It also says it can help the United States reduce the amount of oil it imports. 

美国环境保护署表示，美国每年只有7%的塑料垃圾被回收。纽约州北部一家新公司表示，它可以提高这一比例。该公司还表示它可以帮助美国降低石油进口量。

The company has a machine it calls the “plastic-eating monster.” Every hour, thousands of kilograms of milk jugs¹, water bottles, and grocery bags are fed into the machine. The plastic waste comes from landfills across the United States. John Bordnyniuk runs the company, called JBI.

该公司有一台所谓“塑食怪物”的机器。每小时有数千公斤的牛奶壶、矿泉水瓶和购物袋被送入这台机器。这些塑料垃圾来自美国各地的垃圾填埋场。John Bordnyniuk经营着这家名为JBI的公司。

“Basically they’ve been mining their own piles for us and sending them here.”

“大体上垃圾填埋场一直在为我们挖掘他们的垃圾堆，并把塑料垃圾送来这里。”

Mr. Bordyniuk has invented a new process for turning plastic into fuel. First, many different kinds of unwashed plastics are melted together.

Bordyniuk先生发明了将塑料转化为燃料的一种新工艺。首先，许多不同种类的未清洗塑料熔化在一起。

“The viscosity² is close to what milk would be like. Almost like when you’re heating milk on the stove. Looks exactly like that, except its black.”

“（这种熔化物的）粘度和牛奶差不多，近似于在炉子上加热牛奶。它看起来就是这样的，除了颜色是黑色。”

Mr. Bordyniuk uses a special chemical to turn the fluid into a vapor³. This reduces the plastic to its most basic elements.

Bordyniuk先生使用一种特殊化学品将熔化后的流体物质转变成蒸汽，这将塑料还原为其最基本的元素。

“Plastics are just long hydrocarbon⁴ chains. What we’re doing is re-forming them into links and chains that we want so they have a high fuel value.”

“塑料是长烃链。我们所做的就是将它们重新形成我们想要的高燃料值的键和链。”

Eight percent of the recycled plastic is used to run the system. Independent testers say eighty-six percent of what goes in comes out as fuel.

8%循环再利用的塑料用于运行这个系统。独立测试人员表示，86%进入该系统的塑料垃圾转变成了燃料。

Bob Molodynia helps run the company. He watches as the plastic-eating machine pours a thin, brown liquid into an oil barrel.

Bob Molodynia协助经营这家公司。他看着这台“塑食机器”将棕色小细流注入油桶。

“You could tap this right now and this is ready to go. That’s a number six fuel, that’s what a lot of like US Steel uses, a lot of major companies, that’s what they pay the big bucks⁵ for, right there.”

“你现在就能敲敲这个，这个已经弄好了。那是6号燃油，很多美国钢铁公司之类的大公司就用的这种燃油，他们为此付出了大笔的钱。”

JBI produces several thousand liters of fuel a day. It creates different grades of fuel for different industries. It sells the fuel for up to one hundred dollars a barrel. Each barrel costs about ten dollars to produce.

JBI公司每天生产数千升燃油，该公司为不同行业生产不同等级的燃油，售价高达100美元一桶。每桶生产成本大约为10美元。

John Bordyniuk believes plastics will become an important source of fuel for the United States. He says this will reduce the country’s dependence⁶ on foreign oil and reduce the amount of plastic waste in its landfills.

Bordyniuk认为塑料将成为美国重要的燃油来源。他说，这可以降低美国对国外石油的依赖，并减少垃圾填埋场中塑料垃圾的数量。

Scientists say plastic-to-oil technology is still new and developing. They say it is not yet known if the process is environmentally friendly. And some question whether turning plastic into oil can even be considered “recycling.”

科学家们表示，塑料制油技术仍是新兴和发展中的技术。他们表示尚不知道这个过程是否环保。也有人质疑将塑料转化为石油是否可以被认为是“回收”。

Carson Maxted is with the publication Resource Recycling, a magazine that reports on the plastic recycling industry. He says because there is a lot of plastic waste and a great demand for oil, JBI’s recycling technology may create great changes in both industries.

Carson Maxted就职于《资源回收》杂志，这是一家报道塑料回收行业的出版物。他说，由于目前有大量塑料垃圾，对石油的需求量也很大。JBI公司的回收技术可能给这两个行业带来巨大改变。

“So they’re getting value from something that would otherwise go to the landfill, things that wouldn’t be accepted into a recycler.”

“他们从本来会被送到垃圾填埋场的东西中获取价值，这些东西本来不会进入回收装置。”

1 jugs   

（有柄及小口的）水壶( jug的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Two china jugs held steaming gravy. 两个瓷罐子装着热气腾腾的肉卤。
• Jugs-Big wall lingo for Jumars or any other type of ascenders. 大岩壁术语，祝玛式上升器或其它种类的上升器。

2 viscosity   

n.粘度，粘性

参考例句：

• The viscosity shows a rather pronounced variation with temperature.温度对粘度的影响十分明显。
• The reciprocal of viscosity is known as fluidity.粘度的反意就是流动性。

3 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

4 hydrocarbon   

n.烃，碳氢化合物

参考例句：

• During incomplete combustion some of the hydrocarbon fuel is cracked.在不完全的燃烧中，一些烃燃料裂解。
• The hydrocarbon must be an alkene.这个碳氢化合物必定是烯烃。

5 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。