I just want to say one word to you —just one word— ‘plastics.’

Advice to Dustin Hoffman’s character in The Graduate

What are plastics?

• Materials composed of large molecules (called polymers) which are synthetically made or modified– Most are made from oil

What are plastics used for?

• Work with your neighbor and try to identify as many plastic products in this room as you can in the next 60 seconds

• Automobile– Weight (mileage)

• Aviation– 767, 787– Voyager, Space Ship

One

• Everywhere

What are plastics used for?

Range of Products (defined by government’s NAICS* codes)

• Plastics Bags• Plastic Packaging Film

and Sheet• Non-packaging Film and

Sheet• Plastics Profile Shapes• Plastics Pipe & Pipe

Fittings• Laminated Plate, Sheet

and Shape

• Polystyrene Foam Products

• Urethane and Other Foam Products

• Plastic Bottles• Plastic Plumbing

Fixtures• Resilient Floor Covering• Plastics Products, Not

Classified Elsewhere

(Source: Probe Economics, Inc. 2004)

* North American Industry Classification System

Plastics products improve our daily lives and have made vastimprovements in areas such as:• Medicine - helping us all live longer, healthier lives • Electronics - information, communication, and entertainment• Building and Construction - durability, aesthetics, and high

performance• Transportation - Automotive, Aerospace, and Space Exploration• Personal protection - children, athletes, police, and firefighters• Innovative packaging - freshness, storage stability, and protection

from bacteria• Recyclability and reuse (SPI* created the international recycling

symbols/numbers to facilitate recycling)

Plastics

* Society of the Plastics Industry

• They are inexpensive to produce, and easy to mold, cast, or machine

• Their properties can be expanded even further in composites with other materials

Plastics

Benefits of Plastics Case Study: Transportation

During the oil crisis in the 70’s, automakers found that plastics made cars more energy efficient by reducing weight

Plastics began finding their way into automobile components (bumpers, fenders, doors, etc.)

Plastics were also used for theirDurabilityCorrosion ResistanceToughnessResiliencyLightweight

Benefits of Plastics Transportation cont…

Plastics reduced the weight of the average passenger car built in 1988 by 145 pounds

That saves millions of gallons of gas each year and will save the energy equivalent of 21 million barrels of oil over the average lifetime of those cars

History of PolymersDate

1868190919191927192719291936193619381938193819391939

Material

Cellulose NitratePhenol-FormaldehydeCaseinCellulose AcetatePolyvinyl ChlorideUrea-FormaldehydeAcrylicPolyvinyl AcetatePolystyrene or StyreneNylon (Polyamide)Polyvinyl ButyratePolyvinylidene ChlorideMelamine-Formaldehyde

Example Use

FigurinesElectrical equipmentBeauty accessoriesCellophane package wrapping Pipe, Synthetic LeatherLighting fixtures, Plywood glueBrush backs, displaysSynthetic flooringDisposable utensils HosierySafety glass interlayerSaran wrapCountertops, Cabinets

History of PolymersDate

194219421943194319471948195419561957195719641964

Material

PolyesterPolyethyleneFluorocarbonSiliconeEpoxyAcrylonitrile-Butadiene-StyrenePolyurethane or UrethaneAcetalPolypropylenePolycarbonateIonomerPolyimide

Example Use

Clothing, Boat hullsMilk JugsIndustrial gaskets, Non-stick linersGaskets, Tubing, UtensilsGluesLuggageFoam cushions, Shoe soles, WheelsAutomotive parts, Toilet partsLiving hinges, Safety helmetsWater bottles, Eye protectionGolf balls, Skin packagesGears

Plastics is a complex industry

Processors – (four main processing methods)

Injection MoldingExtrusionBlow MoldingThermoforming

Equipment Suppliers Raw Material Suppliers

Comparison with Other Industries

in the United States

Plastics industry is the nation’s 4th largest

manufacturing industry (shipments):

1. Motor Vehicles and Equipment

2. Petroleum Refining

3. Electronic Components and Accessories

4. Plastics

(Source: Probe Economics, Inc. 2004)

Salaries in the plastics industry

Environmental Issues

Source Reduction

• Replacing bulky/heavy products with properly engineered, lighter, lower volume per part products

“In a comparison of the two types of grocery bags, Franklin Associates concluded that the manufacture of plastic bags produced considerably less air pollution, water borne wastes, and industrial solid-waste than the manufacture of paper. Because plastic bags are lighter, they also produce less post-consumer solid waste, taking up less space in landfills. Researchers found that plastic sacks have these advantages even when grocery store clerks pack less in each bag, thereby using 1.5 or 2 times as many plastic bags to pack the same groceries as paper.”

Brower, Michael & Leon, Warren (1999) The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices - Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists, Three Rivers Press, New York, p. 132-133.

Comparison of plastics and paper

Comparison of plastics and paper

Recycling

• Collection

• Handling/Sorting

• Reclamation/Cleaning

• End uses

Degradation

• Plastics that can break down into smaller molecules by natural means are degradable

• Degraded byproducts are sometimes more dangerous than original product

Waste Left to Degrade

Volume of waste found on Ohio’s roadside Weight of waste found on Ohio’s roadside

“the total annual estimated roadside litter in Ohio for all road types and interchanges is 11,772 TONS!”

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/recycling/news/040716litterstudy.htm

Landfill Waste

Incineration

• British Thermal Units (BTU) is the standard for measuring heat generated from incineration

• Particulate Parts per Million (PPM) is one standard unit of measure to determine pollution when burning

MATERIAL FUEL VALUE(BTUs)

Polyethylene 19,900

Polypropylene 19,850

Newspaper 8,000

Fuel Oil 20,900Source: Data from Council on Plastics and Packaging in the Environment Waste to Energy Fact Sheet 1989

Air quality standards in the US are determined by the EPA and in accordance with international treaties. Any kind of incinerator must comply with these regulations.

Total Product Life Cycle

• Energy Requirements to manufacture a grocery bag

Paper Bag Plastic Bag

Energy required for 0 recycle

16.2 9.8

Energy required for 100 recycle

9.8 7.0

Future

• Rational analysis of each product type and its own particular use

• Be open to suggestions from environmental lobbyists

• Put aside emotional issues in favor of reasoned positions based on scientific principles

Critical Thinking—Recognizing Fallacies

A fallacy is a deceptive argument; its conclusion is not well supported by its premises.

Appeal to Popularity

Ford makes the best automobile in America; after all, more people drive Fords than any other American car.

False Cause

I placed the quartz crystal on my forehead, and in five minutes my headache was gone. The crystal made my headache go away.

Appeal to Emotion

In a commercial for Michelin tires, a picture of a baby is shown with the words “because so much is riding on your tires.”

Types of fallacies

• Appeal to popularity

• False cause

• Appeal to ignorance

• Hasty generalization

• Limited choice

• Appeal to emotion

• Personal attack

• Circular reasoning

• Diversion

Environmental Project

Environmental Project

There is a current debate regarding the use of plastic versus paper products and their effects on the environment. For this report, you will need to research the issues on both sides of this debate and prepare a written report of 5-6 pages in which you discuss the pros and cons of both paper and plastic products.