Plastics

Boon or Bane?

A
Project
by

XXXXX XXXXXX
Std VI

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 Table of Contents

Sl.No. Topic Page number

01 What is Plastic
02 Common Plastics
03 History of Plastics
04 Plastic – a Panacea for all needs
05 Then why is plastic bad?
06 Plastic- what are the alternatives?
07 Plastic- What can WE do ?
08 Plastic- final verdict
09 Acknowledgement
10 References

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01-Pics

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 What is plastic
Plastic is a material consisting of any of a wide range
of synthetic or semi-synthetic organics that are malleable and
can be molded into solid objects of diverse shapes. Plastics
are typically organic polymers of high molecular mass, but
they often contain other substances. They are usually
synthetic, most commonly derived from petrochemicals, but
many are partially natural.[2] Plasticity is the general property
of all materials that are able to irreversibly deform without
breaking “.

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 Common plastics

 Polyester (PES) – Fibers, textiles.

 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) – Carbonated drinks
bottles, peanut butter jars, plastic film, microwavable
packaging.
 Polyethylene (PE) – Wide range of inexpensive uses
including supermarket bags, plastic bottles.
 High-density polyethylene (HDPE) – Detergent bottles,
milk jugs, and molded plastic cases.
 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) – Plumbing pipes and guttering,
shower curtains, window frames, flooring.
 Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) (Saran) – Food packaging.
 Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) – Outdoor furniture,
siding, floor tiles, shower curtains, clamshell packaging.
 Polypropylene (PP) – Bottle caps, drinking straws, yogurt
containers, appliances, car fenders (bumpers), plastic
pressure pipe systems.
 Polystyrene (PS) – Packaging foam/"peanuts", food
containers, plastic tableware, disposable cups, plates,
cutlery, CD and cassette boxes.
 High impact polystyrene (HIPS) -: Refrigerator liners, food
packaging, vending cups.
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And Many More….
03-Pics

In 1862, Alexander Parkes made first plastic “Parkesine” from cellulose

In 1868, John Wesley Hyatt blended nitrocellulose with camphor and formed “Pyroxylin

In 1909, Dr. Leo Baekeland invented “Bakelite

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 History of plastics
The development of plastics has evolved from the use of
natural plastic materials (e.g., chewing gum, shellac) to the
use of chemically modified, natural materials (e.g., natural
rubber, nitrocellulose, collagen, galalite) and finally to
completely synthetic molecules (e.g., bakelite, epoxy,
Polyvinyl chloride). Early plastics were bio-derived materials
such as egg and blood proteins, which are organic polymers.
In 1600 BC, Mesoamericans used natural rubber for balls,
bands, and figurines.[3] Treated cattle horns were used as
windows for lanterns in the Middle Ages. Materials that
mimicked the properties of horns were developed by treating
milk-proteins (casein) with lye.
Parkesine is considered the first man-made plastic.
In the early 1900s, Bakelite, the first fully synthetic
thermoset, was reported by Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland
by using phenol and formaldehyde.

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Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)'s discovery is credited to
employees of the Calico Printers' Association in the UK in
1941.

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04-Pics

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 Plastic – a Panacea for all needs
What makes plastics so popular?
Low cost- Cost less than conventional natural alternatives
Ease of manufacture- Even cottage industries can deal in
plastics
Plastics come in all shapes and sizes and colours- and hence
fit a wide variety of need
Imperviousness to water- this along with its mouldability are
probable two of the most useful charateristics of plastic.
High Mouldability- upon heating it changes shape and upon
cleaning it retains the changed shape.
Plastics have many uses in the medical field as well, for e.g.
polymer implants
Versatility- Its all pervasive. Finds usage in almost everything
we use, from early morning toothbrush to mobile phones,
from our school bags to book covers, from school flash to
shirt buttons, from tiffin bozes to water bottles, from school
bus seats to bus window panes, from TV at home to night

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lamp covers, from paper clips to spaceships …the list is
endless.
In developed countries, about a third of plastic is used in
packaging and another third in buildings such as piping used
in plumbing or vinyl siding. Other uses include automobiles
(up to 20% plastic), furniture, and toys.
In the developing world, the ratios may be different - for
example, reportedly 42% of India's consumption is used in
packaging.
They have already displaced many traditional materials, such
as wood, stone, horn and bone, leather, paper, metal, glass,
and ceramic, in most of their former uses.

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05-Pics

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 Then why is plastic bad?
Though convenient in our day to day use, Plastic has posed an
alarming threat to the environment. The reasons for this threat are:

Non biodegradable:
Plastic is non-biodegradable and do not decay by biological actions
of microbes. They remain in the same state as we throw them. So,
dumps or garbages are created making our cities and soil polluted.

Harmful Chemical:
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To destroy plastics, we can either recycle or burn them. If we burn
plastic, they emit harmful chemical gases like carbon dioxide (CO,),
carbon monoxide (CO), nitrous oxide (NO), methane (CH4), sulphur
dioxides (SO2), etc. These gases pollute our environment, though in
negligible content, they add to green house effect and endanger our
environment.

Damage Sanitary System:

The wastes of plastic block pipes and sanitary lines so that dirty
water came out on roads. This cause fear of malaria, cholera and
other diseases.

Ocean Pollution:
The wastes of plastic bags, bottles, etc. are drawn to a sea or an
ocean by rivers and they are deposited in them. They pollute and
disturb the eco-system of the sea or the ocean.

Ecosystem Imbalance:
Due to wide scale use of plastic, water, soil and air pollutions are
caused. These polluted components of environment lead to
imbalance of various ecosystem of the Earth.

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06-Pics

A paper mill plastic containers made of corn

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 Plastic- what are the alternatives?

Glass Glass isn't made from fossil fuels -- it's made from sand
Reusable Shopping Bags
Plastic Additives- additives called prodegradant concentrates ,
make the Plastics a lot more biodegradablae
Milk Protein - researchers are revitalizing the idea of converting
casein, the principal protein found in milk, into a biodegradable
material that matches the stiffness and compressibility of
polystyrene
Chicken Feathers Chicken feathers are composed almost entirely of
keratin, a protein so tough that it can give strength and
durability to plastics.
Liquid Wood - Liquid wood is made from a by-product of paper
mills, like the one pictured.
PHA Polyesters -Feed sugar to certain types of bacteria and you've
got yourself a plastic production line- a biodegradable plastic
PLA Polyesters - Producing plastic from processed corn, wheat or
sugarcane

So, while there is no silver bullet for making plastics greener, a

combination of revitalizing old ideas and revolutionizing plastic
technology is a step in the right direction.
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07-Pics

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 Plastics- What can WE do?

Solution to this plastic hazard is to take preventive

measures . Some specific measures are as listed below:
a. To reduce use of plastic wherever possible
b. To use recyclable bags and things
c. To recycle the used plastic
d. Not to throw used plastic here and there
e. To collect the used plastic by the Government and then to
recycle them
f. Only recyclable plastics should be allowed to use
g. Some legal norms should be declared.

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08-Pics

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 Plastics- The Final verdict and the Future
Despite growing mistrust, plastics are critical to modern life.
Plastics made possible the development of computers, cell
phones, and most of the lifesaving advances of modern
medicine. Lightweight and good for insulation, plastics help
save fossil fuels used in heating and in transportation.
Perhaps most important, inexpensive plastics raised the
standard of living and made material abundance more readily
available. Without plastics many possessions that we take for

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granted might be out of reach. Replacing natural materials
with plastic has made many of our possessions cheaper,
lighter, safer, and stronger.
Since it’s clear that plastics have a valuable place in our lives,
some scientists are attempting to make plastics safer and
more sustainable.
Some innovators are developing bioplastics, which are made
from plant crops instead of fossil fuels, to create substances
that are more environmentally friendly than conventional
plastics. Others are working to make plastics that are truly
biodegradable. Some innovators are searching for ways to
make recycling more efficient, and they even hope to perfect
a process that converts plastics back into the fossil fuels from
which they were derived.
All of these innovators recognize that plastics are not perfect
but that they are an important and necessary part of our
future.

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 References
 http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/hazards/short-article-
on-plastic-hazards/5754/
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic
 http://www.slideshare.net/pdk2006/past-present-future-
of-plastics
 http://handbookofnaturestudy.com/2013/04/using-less-
plastics-better-trash-bags.html/
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 inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blplastic.htm
 http://blog.eun.org/futurenergia/2011/03/what_is_the_f
uture_of_plastics.html
 www.lle.mdx.ac.uk/site/docs/dt/Historyofplastics.html
 www.americanplasticscouncil.org/benefits/about_plastic
s/history.html

Acknowledgement

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