Lecture #14 Flashcards
December 2, 2020
Virtually all plastic was created…
in the last 100 years
bakelite
-the first fully synthetic polymer -made in 1907 -meant to replace shellac as an insulator -takes a really long time to make actual shellac -ivory for combs was scarce too
plastic production increased greatly during…
WW2 -worried there wouldn’t be enough natural resources to make things critical to the war effort (ex: tires, parachutes, etc…)
early perception of plastics
-high end, NOT cheap -can be bent, shaped, and colored in unique ways
fastest growing segment of waste
electronic waste
throwaway living
-1955 -shift from “use it up, wear it out, or do without” to single use items -“easier” to use it once and throw it away -supposed to help transition of mothers into the workplace after world war 2 -EX: zippo lighter (refillable) –> disposable plastic BIC lighter
American consumption of plastic
~3x more than global average
most plastic products were reduced and recycled in ____ until the recent trade war
China (potential environmental problem if they stop accepting our plastic to recycle)
5 major plastics constitute 75% of plastic today

polyethylene (PE)
low density PE = plastic bags longer chains = higher density and shorter chains = lower density
polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
shower curtains, pipes
polypropylene
monobloc chairs
polystyrene
hard plastics or foam
polyethyleneterephthalate (PET)
soda bottles
Which monomer is this?

PE
Which monomer is this?

PET
Which monomer is this?

PVC
What compound is this?

bis-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) -plasticizer to turn PVC into a shower curtain -leaches out
plastics in the ocean
-can concentrate in certain areas bc of the currents -can concentrate chemicals like DDT that prefer being adsorbed to plastic over being in the water -break down very slowly into small particles -virtually inert -30% of plastics in the ocean will wash up on the beach somewhere -very difficult to remove bc the ocean is so vast
Midway Atoll
-small island in the middle of the pacific -home to Laysan albatross -dying of large amounts of plastic in their stomachs
microplastics in the sea
-particles less than 5 mm in diameter -plastic fibers from washing machine
how much plastic does the average American consume in a year?
one credit card
plastic packaging
-1/3 of plastic used for packaging -each American uses 300 lbs of packaging per year
plastic bags
-SF bans it (expensive) -ACC was very anti-this bc worried about single-use plastic market –> but paper is worse!! :( and taxes suck!! :( -pandemic meant negative progress
resin codes
-imply recycling but many kinds of plastics are not recycled at all
