What is plastic ?

Defintion

Plastic is a material that can be molded into shape while soft and then set into a rigid or slightly elastic form.

• There are many different types of plastic
  • Some is naturally occurring
  • Most is man-made

All plastic is made of carbon.

Oil is a carbon-rich raw material that most plastics are made from.

Man-made plastic uses carbon derived from oil, while biopolymers or bioplastics use carbon derived from natural materials.

A Quick Chemistry Lesson

Chains : Polymers

Plastics are chains of like molecules linked together.

The chains are called polymers.

Each link is a monomer.

Many plastics begin with “poly”, such as polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene.

These polymers are large molecules made of repeating smaller molecules, the monomers.

Links : Monomers

Monomers are chemically bound together, giving them a high molecular mass.
The monomers of plastic are, either natural or man made, organic(carbon based) compounds.

Most plastics today are made from synthetic materials. These man-made polymers are long molecules built around chains of carbon atoms.

Other elements may be present filling in the spaces:

• Hydrogen
• Oxygen
• Sulfur
• Nitrogen

Our Creation!

Chemists combine various types of monomers in many different arrangements to make an almost infinite variety of plastics with different chemical properties.

The majority of plastics are created to be chemically inert.

• They will not react chemically with other substances.

Pro

You can store:

• alcohol
• soap
• water
• acid
• gasoline 

in a plastic container without dissolving the container itself.

Con

Because plastic doesn't react chemically with most other substances, it does not decay.

Plastic disposal poses a difficult and significant environmental problem.

Plastic waste will be in landfills and the environment for centuries and possibly millennia, unless properly managed.

Proper Plastic Management

Recycling is the best method of disposal.

Unfortunately, most plastic waste is:

• thrown in dumps
• incinerated
• plastic pollution in the environment

More on this in section 2 : Plastic today link

Solution Models

New technologies are being developed to more effectivley handle plastic waste.

1. Make plastic from biological substances like corn oil.

   • These types of plastics would be biodegradable and better for the environment.

2. Re-Using plastic waste to create:

   • Diesel fuel
   • Building materials (by-bricks)
   • Asphalt

Possible Results

These models are helping develop solutions for dealing with the abundance of plastic waste in innovative and functional ways.

More on this in section 3: (Plastic solution Link )