PLASTIC

WHAT IS PLASTIC ??.

A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs. Monomers of plastic are either natural or synthetic organic compounds. The word plastic is derived from the Greek (plastikos) meaning capable of being shaped or molded, from (plastos) meaning molded.[1][2] It refers to their malleability, or plasticity during manufacture, that allows them to be cast, pressed, or extruded into a variety of shapes such as films, fibers, plates, tubes, bottles, boxes, and much more. The common word plastic should not be confused with the technical adjective plastic, which is applied to any material which undergoes a permanent change of shape (plastic deformation) when strained beyond a certain point. Aluminum which is stamped or forged, for instance, exhibits plasticity in this sense, but is not plastic in the common sense; in contrast, in their finished forms, some plastics will break before deforming and therefore are not plastic in the technical sense. There are two types of plastics: thermoplastics and thermosetting polymers. Thermoplastics are the plastics that do not undergo chemical change in their composition when heated and can be moulded again and again; examples

are polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).[3] Thermosets can melt and take shape once; after they have solidified, they stay solid.

HISTORY OF PLASTIC..
The first man-made plastic was created by Alexander Parkes who publicly demonstrated it at the 1862 Great International Exhibition in London. The material called Parkesine was an organic material derived from cellulose that once heated could be molded, and retained its shape when cooled.

THEMOPLASTICS & THERMOSETS..

Plastic materials are divided into two basic groups: thermoplatics and thermosets. Thermoplastic materials are made of long molecules with side chains or with groups that are not attached to the other molecules. As a result, thermoplastics can be repeatedly melted and solidified through heating and cooling without a chemical change taking place. This means scraps created when processing thermoplastics can be reused. Thermoplastics are generally supplied to manufacturers in pellet form in order to be melted down and used. Thermosets, however, cannot be reprocessed because they form crosslinked structures during processing. Scrap created when thermoset plastics are processed, therefore, must be discarded or used as a filler in other products. Thermoset plastics are supplied to manufacturers in liquid form or a solid molding powder that has been partially

polymerized. They can be formed into their desired shape with or without pressure and heat or chemicals can be used to polymerize them. Oddly enough, the line is not clearly drawn between thermoplastics and thermosets. In fact, some types of plastic are made as a combination of the two.

THERMOSETTING PLASTICS..

THERMOPLASTICS..

ADVANTAGES OF PLASTICS..
Corrosion resistance Low electrical and thermal conductivity, insulator Easily formed into complex shapes, can be formed, casted and joined. Wide choice of appearance, colors and transparencies

DISADVANTAGES OF PLASTICS..
Low strength

Low useful temperature range (up to 600 oF)

Less dimensional stability over period of time (creep effect) Aging effect, hardens and become brittle over time Sensitive to environment, moisture and chemicals Poor machinability

POPULAR PLASTICS WE USE.. Polyethylene

Properties: very versatile and has dimensional stability, good mechanical and electrical properties, high resistance to impact and chemicals Applications: optical lenses, food processing equipments, electrical components and

insulators, medical equipments, windshields, signs, machine components

NYLONS
Properties:good mechanical and abrasion
resistance property, self-lubricating, resistant to most chemicals but it absorbs water, increase in dimension is undesirable

Applications:

mechanical components; gears, bearings, rollers, bushings, fasteners, guides, zippers, surgical equipments

Polyesters
Properties: good mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties, good resistance to heat and chemicals

Applications: boats, luggage, swimming pools, automotive bodies, chairs

Silicones

Properties: excellent electrical properties over a wide rang of temperature and humidity, good heat and chemical properties Applications: electrical components requiring strength at high temp., waterproof materials, heat seals

POLYCARBONATES

Properties: very versatile and has dimensional stability, good mechanical and electrical properties, high resistance to impact and chemicals Applications: optical lenses, food processing equipments, electrical components and insulators, medical equipments, windshields, signs, machine components

Impacting the Environment

One of the positive characteristics of plastic is the fact that it is durable. Unfortunately, this is not a positive characteristic when it comes to the environment. The fact that plastic is durable means it degrades slowly. In addition, burning plastic can sometimes result in toxic fumes.Aside from trying to get rid of plastic, creating it can be costly to the environment as well. It takes large amounts of chemical pollutants to create plastic, as well as significant amounts of fossil fuels. On the other hand, some argue that plastic helps the environment is several ways, as well. After all, plastic has been used to make cars lighter. As a result, less oil is used to mobilize the cars and less CO2 is emitted. In addition

plastic containers provide safe ways for disposing of toxic waste products

plastic identification number

PLASTIC RECYCLING
What is plastic recycling?
Plastic recycling is the process of reprocessing used scrap and waste plastic into new plastic material. Recycling old plastic products uses 20%-40% less energy than manufacturing it from new. Plastic is created by combining petroleum or natural gas with oxygen or chlorine. This process requires the burning of large amounts of oil. If we recycled all of our plastics we could reduce our oil consumption and save 25% of our landfill space.

What types of plastic products can be recycled?

The American Society of Plastics has recognized seven different types of plastic and has given each category a number, which can be found on the bottom of theplastic container. The two most recyclable categories are:

Marked 1
This category contains PET or PETE (Polyethylene Terephthalate) plastics. These plastics include: Soda and water bottles Mouthwash bottles Plastic wrap Peanut butter and other food jars Salad dressing bottles

Marked 2
This category contains HDPE (high-density polyethylene) plastics. These plastics include: Milk containers Trash bags Yogurt containers Liquid laundry detergent containers Shampoo bottles Juice containers Its important to always wash and rinse out your plastic containers before you take them to a recycling center.

What are the benefits of plastic recycling?

Here are some benefits of recycling plastic: Recycled plastic can be made into plastic lumber, which is more durable Reduces greenhouse gas emissions Can be used to make toys, park benches, car parts, drainage pipes and more For every 7 trucks it takes to deliver paper bags, it only take 1 truck to deliver plastic bags Recycled soda bottles can be reused to make filling for pillows and jackets The plastic recycling business creates over 200,000 jobs in the U.S.

Processes
Before recycling, most plastics are sorted according to their resin type. In the past, plastic reclaimers used the resin identification code (RIC), a method of categorization of polymer types, which was developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry in 1988. Polyethylene terephthalate, commonly referred to as PET, for instance, has a resin code of 1. Most plastic reclaimers do not rely on the RIC now; they use automatic sort systems to identify the resin, such as near infrared (NIR) technology. Some plastic products are also separated by color before they are recycled. The plastic recyclables are then shredded. These shredded fragments then undergo processes to eliminate impurities like paper labels. This material is melted and often extruded into the form of pellets which are then used to manufacture other products.

Monomer recycling
Many recycling challenges can be resolved by using a more elaborate monomer recycling process, in which a condensation polymer essentially undergoes the inverse of the polymerization reaction used to manufacture it. This yields the same mix of chemicals that formed the original polymer, which can be purified and used to synthesize new polymer chains of the same type. Du Pont opened a pilot plant of this type in Cape Fear, North Carolina, USA, to recycle PET by a process of methanolysis, but it closed the plant due to economic pressures.

Thermal depolymerization
Another process involves the conversion of assorted polymers into petroleum by a much less precise thermal depolymerization process. Such a process would be able to accept almost any polymer or mix of polymers, including thermosetmaterials such as vulcanized rubber tires and the biopolymers in feathers and other agricultural waste. Like natural petroleum, the chemicals produced can be made into fuels as well as polymers. A pilot plant of this type exists in Carthage, Missouri, USA, using turkey waste as input material. Gasification is a similar process, but is not technically recycling since polymers are not likely to become the result.

Heat compression
Yet another process that is gaining ground with startup companies (especially in Australia, United States and Japan) is heat compression.[citation needed] The heat compression process takes all unsorted, cleaned plastic in all forms, from soft plastic bags to hard industrial waste, and mixes the load in tumblers (large rotating drums resembling giant clothes dryers). The most obvious benefit to this method is the fact that all plastic is recyclable, not just matching forms. However, criticism rises from the energy costs of rotating the drums, and heating the postmelt pipes.

Other processes

A process has also been developed in which many kinds of plastic can be used as a carbon source in the recycling of scrap steel.

Challenges
When compared to other materials like glass and metal materials, plastic polymers require greater processing (Heat treating, Thermal depolymerization and monomer recycling) to be recycled.[citation needed] Plastics have a low entropy of mixing, which is due to the high molecular weight of their large polymer chains. A macromolecule interacts with its environment along its entire length, so its enthalpy of

mixing is large compared to that of an organic molecule with a similar structure. Heating alone is not enough to dissolve such a large molecule; because of this, plastics must often be of nearly identical composition in order to mix efficiently. When different types of plastics are melted together they tend to phase-separate, like oil and water, and set in these layers. The phase boundaries cause structural weakness in the resulting material, meaning that polymer blends are only useful in limited applications. Another barrier to recycling is the widespread use of dyes, fillers, and other additives in plastics. The polymer is generally too viscous to economically remove fillers, and would be damaged by many of the processes that could cheaply remove the added dyes. Additives are less widely used in beverage containers and plastic bags, allowing them to be recycled more often. Yet another barrier to removing large quantities of plastic from the waste stream and landfills is the fact that many common but small plastic items lack the universal triangle recycling symbol and accompanying number. A perfect example is the billions of plastic utensils commonly distributed at fast food restaurants or sold for use at picnics. The use of biodegradable plastics is increasing. If some of these get mixed in the other plastics for recycling, the reclaimed plastic is not recyclable because of the variance in properties and melt temperatures