That’s right! Just like Doc Brown’s DeLorean in Back to the Future, we now have a way to turn trash into fuel. And it’s not a new discovery. The process, referred to as gasification, was first used during WWII when gasoline and diesel were rationed. Keep reading to learn how you can turn your car into a trash-burning machine.

Also called waste biomass power, the term gasification refers to the transformation of solid biomass (or other carbonaceous solids) to a flammable fuel through the use of heat. Gasification can be used to transform virtually any dry, solid organic matter into gaseous fuel that is not only carbon neutral, but clean burning too!

Just a few things you could use to power your car: 
• Agricultural waste
• Walnut shells
• Wood chips
• Construction debris

Perhaps the best part about gasification is that it operates using cellulosic biomass; in other words, materials that won’t compete with food.

The device that makes gasification possible is called – not surprisingly – a gasifier. The resulting waste is referred to as “wood gas,” “syngas,” or “producer gas.” A gasifier is about as complicated as a wood stove. In other words, you can easily make one at home with everyday tools.

Even easier, you can purchase a “Gasifier Experimenter’s Kit” (GEK) on the All Power Labs website.

How it works: In normal cars, liquid gasoline gets injected into cylinders while air is drawn in to burn it. The GEK produces a substance similar to natural gas called syngas fuel. But since it isn’t a liquid, you can’t fuel up like normal.

The GEK can be used with almost any car. The first step is to disable the vehicle’s fuel injectors and route the syngas through the engine’s air intake. The GEK is then installed into the trunk with a tube that connects to the car’s engine. If you do it properly, you will be able to return your car to normal operation on traditional fuel with the flip of a switch.