Plastics

=Plastics = We have become so accustomed to the ubiquitous presence of plastic that it is difficult to envision life when woods and metals were the primary materials used for consumer products. In 2002, about 107 billion pounds of plastic were produced in North America. Plastic has become prevalent because it is inexpensive and it can be engineered with a wide range of properties. Plastics are strong but lightweight, resistant to being degraded by chemicals, sunlight, and bacteria, and are thermally and electrically insulating. Plastics also can be custom-designed for innumerable uses, including //polyethylene terephthalate// for soda bottles, high-density //polyethylene// for milk bottles, //polypropylene// for ketchup bottles,//expandable polystyrene// for egg crates, //low-density polyethylene// for plastic bags, and //polyvinyl chloride// (PVC) for water pipes. They can be molded into many shapes, including intricate small parts, and can be drawn into thin fibers. Some can be foamed to produce high-bulk materials such as Styrofoam, further increasing their thermal insulation properties. Plastics have become a critical material in the modern economy; in 1979 the annual volume of plastics produced exceeded the volume of steel that was manufactured. Plastics were originally developed as synthetic substitutes for natural materials, such as rubber, tortoiseshell, and ivory, which were once widely used for consumer goods. The first commercially viable plastic was celluloid, developed in the latter part of the 19th century as a replacement for ivory in billiard balls, combs, brushes, and other household items. Celluloid was made from cellulose nitrates : plant fibers were nitrated in acid to form nitrocellulose, which could then be molded into various shapes. It was later used as the substrate for flexible photographic film, making motion pictures possible. Cellulose was also molded into thin sheets, cellophane, used to package consumer products. Rayon, also produced from plant fibers, was developed in 1891. The first synthetic plastic, Bakelite, was developed in 1907 by Leo Baekeland through a condensation reaction of phenol (derived from coal tar) and formaldehyde.  Wallace Hume Carothers, head of a research laboratory at Dupont, led a team that was the first to synthesize long-chained molecules, called polymers, in the lab by combining alcohol and esters. Carothers was trying to prove that polymers were, in fact, long-chained molecules, not aggregates of molecules as previously thought. In a two week period in 1930, Carothers and his team discovered Neoprene, a synthetic substitute for rubber, and Nylon, a synthetic fiber. Research into plastics accelerated during World War II to meet the demand for strong and lightweight materials for military purposes. Acrylic plastic was not significantly utilized until there was a wartime demand for aerodynamic sheets that could be used to cover airplane cockpits, although acrylics first appeared on the market in the 1930s. The annual volume of plastics produced tripled during the period of 1940 to 1945. Although plastics were first developed as a substitute for natural materials, industrial designers began to design products based on the characteristics of the new materials. Plastics made it possible to make brightly colored products, in addition to products with rounded corners, which was difficult to do with wood or metals. Products made of plastic became a prominent component of the Art Deco and //art moderne// movements in the 1920s and 1930s. After World War II, plastics were used to make an endless number of relatively inexpensive consumer products, including linoleum, Formica, and other household goods. Plastics also made toys inexpensive, such as the hula hoop and the Barbie doll, which was introduced in 1959. Plastics are essentially a byproduct of petroleum refining. In plastics production, the components of oil or natural gas are heated in a "cracking" process, yielding hydrocarbon monomers that are then chemically bonded into polymers, which are long-chain molecules. Different combinations of //monomers// produce//polymers// with different characteristics.  The basic backbone of a hydrocarbon polymer is a chain of carbon atoms, with hydrogen atoms branching off the carbon spine. Some plastics contain other elements as well. For example, Teflon contains fluorine, PVC contains chlorine, and nylon contains nitrogen. As with all materials, there are environmental costs and benefits associated with the use of plastics. Plastics replace natural materials, including ivory and wood. Synthetic fibers also provide a substitute for cotton, a water- and energy-intensive crop. The use of plastic materials in cars and airplanes reduces their weight and therefore increases their fuel efficiency. The insulating capacity of plastics such as styrofoam reduce the amount of energy required to heat and cool homes. There are, however, environmental impacts associated with the production and disposal of plastics. The wastes involved in the manufacturing of plastics have to be handled according to state and federal regulations. CFCs, which have been implicated in destruction of the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere, were formerly used in the production of Styrofoam; however, CFCs have not been used for this process since the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987. One of the most significant environmental problems associated with plastics is the improper disposal of plastic goods by consumers. The use of plastics has enabled the development of innumerable disposable products, which has increased the amount of trash that is disposed. Although paper accounts for most of the trash in landfills by volume, plastics account for 25% of all waste in landfills when buried. A significant amount of plastic, however, is not properly disposed in landfills and makes its way into the environment. Plastic does not biodegrade quickly which means it remains in the environment for a very long time. Plastic trash has made its way to coastal ecosystems and the ocean, presenting a danger to marine and birdlife. Plastic debris can be found in many coastal areas (as well as inland); however, one of the greatest concentrations of plastic trash is a Texas-sized floating island of plastic debris in the north Pacific gyre, a collection of trash that has been swept together by ocean currents.  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> History of Plastics

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Society of Plastics Industry, the trade association for the plastics industry, provides an overview of the origins of plastic, including early developments and the initial commercial development of the plastic materials commonly used today. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> Plastics Information and Resources

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The California Waste Management Board must deal with a large amount of plastic in the form of consumer waste. This site includes information on recycling plastics, plastic markets, and pollution prevention. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> Seven Misconceptions about Plastic and Plastic Recycling

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Plastics Task Force, part of the Ecology Center, presents the common misconceptions that people may have about plastic and the recycling of plastic materials. The site also presents five strategies that can be used to reduce the environmental impact of plastics. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> Plastics

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The San Francisco Department of the Environment offers many fact sheets on various environmental topics, including this one on plastics. It explains the plastics labeling system developed by the Society for the Plastics Industry, as well as what kind of plastic is used for various types of products and packaging.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">FOR THE CLASSROOM
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> The Life Cycle of a CD or DVD

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The EPA provides this poster that tracks a CD or DVD from materials acquisition to its reuse or disposal. The poster includes the definition of a life cycle, why life cycles are important, as well as things students can do to reduce waste accumulated from the production and disposal of CDs and DVDs. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> The Amount of Plastics in Cars

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Automotive Learning Center, a division of the American Plastics Council, is dedicated to advancing automotive engineering education. This site discusses the specific applications of plastics in today's automobile. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> Living with Plastic

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Science Education for Public Understanding Program at the University of California at Berkeley, offers this teaching module for grades 7-12. The kit includes teaching notes and student handouts for activities about plastic, such as the choice between paper and plastic bags, the properties of polymers, a fictional oil crisis, and plastics in the environment. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> Polymer Resources

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Akron Global Polymer Academy at the University of Akron website includes lesson plans on polymers for grades K-12. In addition the site links to video lessons, simulated and remote experiments, and other resources on polymers. []