Plastics in the future
Today, a wide variety of plastic polymers, also called resins, are derived from natural gas, crude oil or other naturally occurring building blocks. Each polymer is a chain of carbon-based molecules, called monomers, bonded together through a chemical reaction. What these molecules are made of, their structure and the strength of the bonds between them will affect the plastic's physical properties. For example, some plastics are flexible while others are rigid, some can be made into crystal-clear items, others into lightweight foam products. There are many advantages of plastics over traditional materials such as metals and glass. Plastics are lighter and safer than glass for domestic applications, e.g., storage containers, bottles. Plastics products are less expensive to make as the processes require less energy due to lower melting points. Typically, finishing by painting or plating is not required and there is ease in creating intricate shapes.Natural Polymers such as protein-polymers of amino acids are critical to life as we know it. Chemists have copied nature by making synthetic polymers or plastics.There are two basic types of synthetic polymers; addition polymers and condensation polymers. Addition polymers form w
the starch) are observed to actually degrade. Importantly is their ability to completely biodegrade in a short period of time. The two most common are poly hydroxybutyrate and poly lactic acid. The push for better biodegradable plastics is not only driven by saving the environment. Synthetic addition polymers with only carbon as the backbone do not significantly biodegrade. Hydrolytically degradable polymers are broken down by water or hydrolysis. This is expensive if performed by hand and though there are systems that will separate them automatically there is no single method suitable for all the combinations of plastic. A biodegradable polymer degrades due to the action of naturally occurring microorganisms containing enzymes that break down the polymer structure so that the polymer may be used as food. Most often a degradable polymer degrades by more than one of the mechanisms. Plastic waste accounts for approximately 10% of all waste but occupies 20% of landfill volume. Generally these biopolymers are either made from petroleum products, fermented or grown. The monomers usually are in alternating order and the polymer often has atoms other than carbon in the main chain. Each bond in the polymer is formed independently of the others. By using by-products from the agricultural industry it also cuts down on their waste and is a readily renewable source.
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,
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oxidatively degradable,
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