Polymers and their disposal Flashcards
Type of polymer and monomers of Terylene
Polyester
Benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid
1,4-diaminobenzene
Type of polymer and monomers of Nylon 6,6
Polyamide
1,6-diaminohexane
hexanedioic acid
Type of polymer and monomers of Kevlar
Polyamide
1,4-diaminobenzene
benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid
Uses of terylene
plastic bottles, clothing, sheets and sails
Uses of kevlar
bulletproof vests, boat construction, car tyres and lightweight sports equipment
Uses of nylon 6,6
clothing, carpet, rope, airbags, parachutes
Why can’t polyalkenes be hydrolysed?
They are addition polymers with strong non-polar bonds that acids and bases cannot hydrolyse
Why can condensation polymers be hydrolysed?
They have polar bonds open to attack by nucleophiles that can hydrolyse them
Properties of polyalkenes that make them hard to dispose
Chemically inert and non-biodegradeable, can’t be hydrolysed
Evaluation of landfill sites
Useful for waste plastics that are:
-difficult to separate from other waste
-not in sufficient quantities for separation to be financially worthwile
-too difficult to recycle
Landfills are cheap and an easy method of waste disposal BUT:
Landfills release methane and green house gas leaks contaminate water supplies
Evaluate burning plastics
Can be used to generate electricity but CO2 gases released contribute to greenhouse effect
Evaluate recycling plastics
-reduces waste in landfill sites
-saves raw materials
-cheaper to recycle than make new plastics
-produces less CO2 than burning
-difficult to recycle
-collecting, sorting and processing plastic more expensive than burning/landfill
-exact plastic often can’t be remade and something else needs to be made from scrap plastic
-plastic can be easily contaminated during recycling process
