Plastic: production, types, and properties

PLASTIC

WHAT IS PLASTIC?

Synthetic plastic is a material made from crude oil or natural gas.

CHEMICAL STRUCTURE

Monomers are small units of molecules.
Polymers are long chains of monomers that are linked together.
Plastic is made of polymers.
Monomer
Polymer
CH2=CH2
-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH2-
HH
-
HHHHHH
C=C
-c-C-C-C-C-C-
-
HH
HHHHHH

HOW PLASTIC IS PRODUCED

1. EXTRACTION
   Crude oil and natural gas are extracted
   from the ground. They are transported to a
   refinery.

HOW PLASTIC IS PRODUCED

1. REFINEMENT
   At the refinery, crude oil and natural gas are distilled
   (separated) into their many different components.
   Ethane and propane are two of these components.
   ETHANE
   PROPANE
   ETHANE
   ETHYLENE
2. CRACKING
   This is a chemical process that breaks down
   propane and ethane into smaller molecules,
   the monomers.
   POLYMER
3. POLYMERIZATION
   MONOMER + MONOMER + MONOMER + MONOMER
   Monomers are linked together to form
   long polymer chains. This substance
   looks similar to a paste.

HOW PLASTIC IS PRODUCED

1. PLASTIC PELLETS
   The polymer paste is used to produce plastic pellets.
   These pellets are melted together to make plastic products.

TWO TYPES OF PLASTIC

THERMOPLASTIC

They are made of long
chains of monomers.
monomer
!
This type of chemical bond allows them to be melted and
reshaped many times. Products made from thermoplastic are
recyclable.
drink bottles
furniture
polystyrene
nylon

TWO TYPES OF PLASTIC

THERMOSET

They are made of a
network of monomers.
monomer
!
Because of this complex chemical bond, once a product is set
(formed), it cannot be heated without being destroyed. Products
made from thermoset plastic are extremely difficult to recycle.
8
&
plug
socket
artificial
leather
18
boats

POLLUTION ON LAND

There is a lot of litter (trash) on the
ground.
A lot of plastic ends up in landfills.
They take up a lot of space.
When it rains, all the disgusting liquids
collect together and create a toxic liquid
called leachate.
Leachate pollutes the soil (earth) and
water sources - harming plants and
animals. It emits chemical vapors and
pollutes the air.
Fischer

POLLUTION IN THE OCEAN

Plastic waste can sink to the bottom polluting
the ocean floor.
It can float in the ocean. A lot of plastic
collects together forming islands of garbage
called patches. There are 5 of these patches.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the biggest
collection of litter floating in the ocean.
N. Pacific
Atlantic
S. Pacific
Indian
S. Atlantic
)
Animals can become trapped in
plastic and they eat the plastic.

EFFECTS ON HEALTH

UV rays cause plastic waste to
break down into small pieces
called microplastic.
Microplastics are swallowed by
all types of marine life. Through
the food chain we end up eating
plastic, too.

THE NEW FOOD CHAIN

MICROPLASTICS
TO FISH
TO US
Plastic causes air, water and land pollution. We have many health issues linked to
pollution like respiratory or cardiovascular problems and even cancer.

BIOPLASTIC

Bioplastics are plastics made from organic material. They can be made from corn,
yeast, vegetable oils, and even biomass (plant waste).
TEAST
R
CROWN
Trusted Since 1984
INSTANT
YEAST
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Best for Soft Rolls & Bread

BIOPLASTIC

ADVANTAGES

• They reduces greenhouse gas
  emissions.
• Raw materials are renewable
• We use fewer fossil fuels.
• They are biodegradable.
• They encourage a circular
  economy.

DISADVANTAGES

• They are more expensive to
  produce than synthetic plastic.
  Bioplastics are biodegradable, but
  the process is complicated.
• They need to be sorted.
• Special facilities are needed to
  compost them quickly.
  So, many of the bioplastics end up
  in landfill.
  circular economy - we try to use resources in a way that does not harm the
  environment.

RECYCLING CATEGORIES

There are different categories of plastic. Not all of them are recyclable. They can be
difficult sort, sometimes they have a strange color or they need special recycling
factories.
PET
(2)
HDPE
3
L
4
LDPE
PP
PS
OTHER
Where
you'll
find it
Soft drinks
bottles,
food
packaging
such as
punnets
Milk cartons,
cleaning
products,
yoghurt pots,
liquid soap
dispensers
0
0
20
Blister packs,
pipe fittings,
window
fittings
Food bags,
shopping
bags,
magazine
wrapping
Margarine
tubs,
microwave
meal trays,
soup pots
Yogurt
Milk
Crisps
Crisp
packets
Rigid items:
yoghurt
pots, meat
trays, aspirin
bottles
Foam items:
packaging
(6)
PVC

HOW PLASTICS ARE RECYCLED

COLLECTION

You put plastic into a bin
and it is transported to a
collection facility.

SORTING

Plastics are sorted into
their different categories
and then sorted into
different colors.

SHREDDING

A machine shreds plastic
into little pieces called
flakes.

PRODUCT PRODUCTION

P
WASHING
Factories use these
pellets to create new
products.
PELLETS
The flakes are melted
and formed into pellets.
The flakes are washed to
remove food residue.
MEAT

THE FOUR RS

Refuse

Don't take or buy things
we don't need, like free
gadgets.

Reduce

Use fewer things made of
plastic like packaging or
plastic bags.

Recycle

Separate and garbage in
the correct bins.

Reuse

Find new ways to use
plastic products again.