At just 22, Julian Brown is already challenging one of the world’s biggest environmental problems, plastic waste. From his workshop in Georgia, the young inventor is turning discarded plastic into usable fuel through a process he calls Plastoline, powered by solar energy.
Microwave pyrolysis uses heat to turn plastic into vapour, then cools it into crude oil that refines into gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel. What makes Julian’s system stand out is its renewable power source: solar panels drive the entire process.
Julian began developing his own reactor at the age of 17. While his peers were thinking about college applications, he was busy building his first small prototype in high school.
On October 4, 2025, Julian made headlines when he started a 2023 Dodge Scat Pack, running it entirely on his own Plastoline fuel. The live demonstration took place at a Nissan dealership in Duluth, Georgia, marking a personal and scientific milestone.
But the road to innovation hasn’t been smooth. “Building these machines costs thousands of dollars,” he said. “Some parts can reach tens of thousands.” Grants and small contributions have kept his work alive, but it’s his relentless drive that keeps him going.
Julian has tested his fuel and believes it burns cleaner than regular diesel, reducing carbon emissions.
Yet, strange challenges have marked his journey. He says hackers have targeted him and helicopters have hovered near his home, but he refuses to let anything distract him from his mission.
Julian’s environmental awakening began years ago. In high school, he saw a viral video of a turtle struggling with a plastic straw lodged in its nose. The image, he says, broke his heart and sparked his resolve to act.
“I see it now as, let’s get it in the world and implemented,” he told WTVM 9. “That’s the whole point of why I started this.”
He now sees plastic not as waste, but as “UTPE, Untapped Potential Energy.” “For as long as I walk this Earth,” he declared, “plastic will not be seen as trash.”
Despite the scepticism and obstacles, Julian views his invention as part of a higher calling.
“I am just a vessel,” he says. “Here and bestowed upon a path to liberate humanity from self-destructive systems. I am honoured to serve the world, and blessed to hold the title of inventor now.”
