5B.2 Dealing with polymer waste Flashcards
what are the reasons for large uses of polymers
- they can be manufactured on a large scale with a wide variety of complex shapes and different physical properties (like plastic bottles they can be rigid and flexible)
- they are often lighter ways than the original (glass vs plastic bottles
- they are unreactive so they can hold many contain many substances safely ( metal corrodes and wood roots)
`what is recycling
converting polymer waste into usefull materials
how can we reduce polymer waste
- by using polymers but instead using substitution such as tot bags
- by recycling the polymers for example the polymer PET is widely used as a plastic bottle that can be recycled into carpet
- by incinerating the polymers
- by using biodegradable polymers
what is meant by incinerating polymers
converting polymer waste into energy
why can burning polymers make energy
because they are mostly made up of hydrogen and carbon, so they can be used as heat energy to heat homes and factories or to generate electricity
what are the disadvantages of incinerating
- once the polymers are burned they produce CO2 which contributes to global warming
- polymers are also made from PVC which includes chlorine and heavy metals from the pigments used to colour the plastic bottle, these pollutants are difficult to remove from the atmosphere
why is there little solid waste left after incineration
because most of the atoms in the polymers end up in a gaseous state and leave through the chimney into the atmosphere
what are biodegradable substances
they are substances that can be broken down by microbes
what is the disadvantage of biodegradable polymers
- they are made up of plant materials, which raises up an issue of land being used for this instead of growing food
- since they are designed to break down in the environment the hydrogen and carbon atoms cannot be used directly
