The viral video shows the industrial aspects of the recycling process of thermocol into plastic granules. Not artificial sugar production.
We have already done several fact checks on top of the adulterated food notifications. A video is currently going viral that purports to show thermocol being used to make artificial sugar. The video shows thermocol sheets being placed into a machine and coming out as crystalline granules after some processing. Users who shared the footage claim this is the video of thermocol being used to make artificial sugar.
The caption states “Attention Sugar Making By thermocol
Duplicate sugar is being made from thermocol”
Fact Check-
A reverse image search of the video’s key frames led us to some similar videos. These are the scenes where the thermocouple is regenerated and granulated. Entrepreneur India TV, the official YouTube channel of the Institute for Industrial Development (IID), has a similar video.
In this documentary, which was uploaded in October 2020, we can see a video of thermocol being turned into plastic granules, similar to the viral video circulating. According to the documentary, these are the scenes of recycling thermocol waste which is hazardous to the environment. The video explains the industrial aspects of the recycling process of thermocol plastic granules. These plastic granules are used to make chairs, tables, toys, decorative items and other plastic products.
For clarity, we contacted Dr. Anu, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at T K M Engineering College in Kerala. She clarified “The video shows thermocol being recycled into resins. Thermocol is melted and then subjected to wet spinning and then crushed to form resin, not artificial sugar manufacturing.”
There are many other videos available on converting thermocol resins.
Additionally a representative of Fact Crescendo spoke to Swayam Jain, son of Shantilal Jain. When we sent him this viral video, he told that it is a video of thermocol recycling.
According to Jain “The video going viral shows people recycling thermocol. And from that they are making plastic granules. Since they look transparent like sugar, people are under the impression that fake sugar is being made from thermocol. Only plastic things are made from these plastic grains. And the correct process of thermocol recycling is being explained in the video. Hence the claim made with it is totally wrong,”
Micro Gartex Industries Company has a thermocol recycling plant named ThermoWest Solutions. Jain himself has sent us the picture and video of that plant.
He has also sent us a video of him explaining how recycling is done in a thermocol plant.
Similar videos became viral in 2017. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, the then-Minister of State for Consumer Affairs revealed that the government had received reports of rice and sugar produced from plastic. At the same time, he stated that no particular cases of plastic rice and sugar in the country had been discovered.
Conclusion
Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be False. While news of food adulteration is common in the media, the viral video shows the industrial aspects of the recycling process of thermocol into plastic granules. Not artificial sugar production.
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