Plastics 101

- HOWIT'S USED– PLASTICS Tia 101 Polyethylene teréphthalate (PET or PETE) single-use water bottle containers, cooking oil bottles peanuf butter jars WHAT IS PLASTIC? High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) detergent bottles, milk jugs. A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids that are moldable. Plastics are typically organic polymers of high molecular mass, but they often contain other substances. They are usually synthetic, most commonly deríved from petrochemicals, but many are partially natural. - HOWIT'S MADE- Polyvinyl Chloridé (PVC) To make plastics, chemists and chemical engineers must do the following on an industrial scale: plastic pipes, outdoor furniture, shrink wrap, water bottles. Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) Prepare raw materials and monomers. dry cleaning bags, produce bags, Carry out polymerization reactions. Process the polymers into final polymer resins. Produce finished products. trash can liners, Polypropylene (PP) -HOWIT'S DISPOSEDOF - ANDRECYCLED- bottle caps, food containers, drinking straws. The polymer resins are processed into final plastic products. Generally, they are heated, molded and allowed to cool. There are several processes involved in this stage, depending upon the typė of product. Polystyrene (PS) "Styrofoam peanuts," cups, plastic tableware, meat trays. EXTRUSION Pellets are heated and mechanically mixed in a long chamber, forced through a small opening and cooled with air or water. Oil-based plastics don't degrade, but many types (including PP, LDPE, HDPE, PET, and PVC) can be recycled. Each type has a code and identifying number, but some plastics aren't as economically feasible to recycle. So it's important to check with your recycler or municipality about which types of plastics will be accepted. asp INJECTION MOLDING PLASTICS The resin pellets are heated and mechanically mixed in a chamber and then forced under high pressure into a cooled mold. Sources: BLOW MOLDING This technique is used in conjunction with extrusion or injection molding. The resin pellets are heated and compressed into a liquid tube, like toothpaste. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic http://science.howstuffworks.com/ plastic.htm http://www.reuseit.com/product- materials/the-7-most-common- plastics-and-how-they-are-typically- used.htm