How are plastics produced?

plastic today is the most versatile and widely used synthetic material on the market. They are polymers, ie large molecules (molecular weight ~ 10 000+), which consist of long recurring chains of smaller molecules (molecular weight ~ 100) known as monomers. Conventional monomers used in plastic production such as vinylace, styrene, butadien and vinyl chloride are extracted from raw oil or natural gas. Monomers fall into the chemical class known as petrochemicals. Monomers are made of atoms such as chlorine, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen and sulfur. Monomers are easy to extract from abundant organic sources, although the price of oil increases, as well as the price of plastics.

There are two main types of plastic; Thermoset plastics and thermoplastics. Both are produced by pouring liquid monomers of the mold where they are subject to polymerization. Thermoset plastics are permanent after shaping - do not diagnose under the heat. Thermoplasts are melted under the heat and can be repeatedly reformed. PolymeThe river process increases the molecular weight of the components molecules and changes liquid monomers into solid polymers. (Increasing the molecular weight causes the substance to undergo a phase change.)

During the forming process, monomer soup is overheated and condensed under many atmospheres. This causes the polymerization to occur and ensures that the plastic is solid and uniform and lacks any inner air bubbles (a big problem that had to be bypassed in the first days of plastic). The result is a finished plastic product. Well -known plastics include Bakelite®, Nylon, PVC, Synthetic Rubber, Acrylic, Polyethylene (Tupperware®), Formica®, and Teflon®. The disadvantage of their plastics is their impact on the environment. Biodegrade takes many thousands of (or even millions) years. Over the past decades, plastic recycling has been supported, although only about 5% of the plastics in the US have been recycled in the US today.