Sourcing and Extraction of Polymers

Question 1

What is the raw material for polymers

Answer 1

Crude Oil

Question 2

What are the overall steps of Sourcing and extracting polymers?

Answer 2

1) Extraction of crude oil
2) Transportation of crude oil to fraction distillery unit
3) Fractionally distilled
4)Cracking
5) Polymerisation
6) Fed into to machine where plastic is melted and cut into pellets.

Question 3

Evaluate step 1

Answer 3

S1 done by OIL RIGS and crude oil extracted from DRILLING INTO LAND AND SEABED.
1) Costly
2) Affect local habitats
3) Oil leakage in the ocean
4) Energy needed and supplied from fossil fuels

Question 4

Evaluate step 2

Answer 4

Transportation can be done by pipes in oceans or shipping
1) Shipping large energy supply from fossil fuels.
1b) Increased Carbon Footprint
2) Piping can harm local habitat due to building pipes
2b)Pipe oil leakage can harm environment

Question 5

Evaluate step 3&4

Answer 5

High energy needed and hence supplied by fossil fuel.

Question 6

What is polymerisation

Answer 6

1)Polymerisation is the process of joining small molecules to make long chains.
»> Done by using catalysts

Question 7

what is cracking

Answer 7

Breaking down of large hydrocarbon molecules to make smaller, more useful hydrocarbon molecules.

Question 8

What are catalysts

Answer 8

Chemicals that cause reaction to happen.

Question 9

How does Fractional Distillation work

Answer 9

1)Hot oil pumped at the base of distillation tower
2) Heated at 350 degrees
3) Vaporises at the top
4) Heavy chemical molecules stay at bottom whilst lighter at top
5)The chemicals cool and condenses
6) Fractions siphoned to be cracked

Question 10

Bitumen is used for roads, explain why

Answer 10

1) Thick and dense
2) Not volatile
3) Doesn’t flow so easily
4) High boiling point

Question 11

What hydrocarbon used to produce polymers

Answer 11

Naphtha