polymers and waste Flashcards

1
Q

what is a polymer?

A

a chain of many monomers

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2
Q

state 2 examples of natural polymers

A

proteins
rubber

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3
Q

state an example of a synthetic polymer

A

poly (ethene)

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4
Q

describe characteristics of polyalkenes

A
  • saturated
  • usually non polar so unreactive
  • do not easily degrade
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5
Q

what are the weaknesses of sending plastics to landfill?

A
  • cannot separate
  • takes up space
  • expensive
  • most polymers do not biodegrade
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6
Q

what are advantages of recycling plastics?

A
  • reduces dependency on crude oil
  • can be remoulded
  • can be cracked or used as organic stock feed
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7
Q

what is an advantage and weakness of incinerating plastics?

A
  • generates electricity
  • produces toxic HCl gas when burning but this is overcome by neutralising with NaOH
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8
Q

what are biodegradable polymers?

A

polymers which decompose naturally

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9
Q

why do biodegradable polymers not need to be disposed of?

A

they are decomposed by organisms

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10
Q

what are weaknesses of biodegradable polymers?

A
  • made from oil fractions and renewable sources which are expensive
  • oxygen and moisture are required
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11
Q

what is addition polymerisation?

A

unsaturated monomers open their double bond to form saturated chains

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12
Q

what is the concern with disposing of alkenes?

A
  • not very reactive
  • non biodegradable
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13
Q

what is the reason for recycling alkenes?

A
  • conserves fossil fuels
  • prevents landfill
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14
Q

what is feedstock recycling and how is it used?

A
  • reclaiming monomer/gas/oil where products resemble crude oil products
  • can be used as raw material to create new polymers
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15
Q

what is a weakness of feedstock recycling?

A

cannot deal with unsorted or unwashed polymers

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16
Q

what are bioplastics?

A

plastic derived from biological substances, alternative to oils

17
Q

what are biodegradable polymers used for?

A
  • breaks down into water, CO2 or biological compounds
  • alters polymer structure to allow them to break down