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Manufacturing Cycle and Environmental Impact
The most common form of polyethylene is petroleum based or olefins based; as before mentioned polyethylene compounds have a wide commercial applicability and are made from non-renewable resources (Harding, Dennis, von Blottnitz, Harrison, & S.T.L., 2007). Its manufacturing processes are regarded as energy intensive and release significant amount of CO2 and heat into the atmosphere (Broderick, 2008). Next a little more detailed description of polyethylene’s production processes will be presented, with a focus on the way the material inputs are extracted and synthesized.
First step to produce polyethylene is to obtain the ethane from the ground. Ethane can be obtained either by extraction from natural gas or from crude oil using a process called fractional distillation (AUS-e-TUTE n.d.; University of Washington). Fractional distillation is a process that separates the various components of crude oil, in this case, to obtain ethane.
After the oil/gas mixture is drawn from the ground, it is then stored into a storage tank and allowed to rest for a while. Then the gas is piped off to a set of distillation columns to clean up the ethane. In order to activate the chemical reaction necessary to separate the ethane, a thermal cracking unit (a sort of long heated tube) i.e. a plug flow reactor is used. After a series of distillations, ethylene exits the tube.
Before using ethylene to produce polyethylene, the compound needs to be purified to almost 100%. In order to reach this level of purity the ethylene needs to be freed of olefins, acetylenes, dienes and water through several processes such as: driers are used to take out the water, a demethanizer is used to remove methane, etc. ...
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hydrocarbons that forms during the extraction of natural gas and is used as a thinning
It is easily synthesized from benzene, so it is also a powerful solvent. Applications range from adhesive purposes, surface coating, and as a starter for TNT (tri-nitro-toluene). Xylene is “similar to toluene in structure, except that a further hydrogen atom has been displaced from the ring by a methyl group.” It is another solvent derived from tar and naphthalene by the same technique used for isolating benzene and toluene. (74-76).
With the uproar over BPA and all the bad press it has been receiving there are those out there who believe that there is no issue concerning BPA. Some scientists have had problems recreating similar results from the experiments done by early researchers. Even the FDA and toxicologist scientists have worked together to study and understand the chemical compound with no results of it being harmful or deadly. The plastic industry has revolutionized our world when it comes to how we depend on their products in our everyday lives, but ...
According to the American Council of Chemistry, plastics, which are otherwise known as polymers, are comprised of carbon, hydrogen, chlorine, nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and other elements that are combined through the conversion of natural products like oil, natural gas, or coal (ACA, n.d.). Between 7 and 8 % of the oil and natural gasses produced annually are used either directly in the conversion of such fossil fuels to plastics, or in powering the processes to produce plastics (Hopewell, Dvorak & Kosior, 2009). Plastic combinations can either form as thermoplastics, which are plastics whose atoms are connected in long chains that can be melted and reused, or thermosets, which are plastics whose atoms are arranged in three dimensional patterns that cannot be melted or reused (ACC, n.d.). Plastics are used in a wide range of products. For example, polyesters are used in textiles and fabrics, polyvinylidene chlorides are used for food packaging, polycarbonates are used for glasses and disks, and more. By the United States energy averages of 2015, each kg of plastic produced requires 62-108 mega joules of energy. The plastic requiring the largest amount of energy per kg is silicon which required about 235 mega joules of energy per kg. Three hundred and twenty two million metric tons of plastic produced in 2015 alone, and that value continues to raise, (Global plastic production,
The synthesis of polymers starts with ethylene, (or ethene). Ethylene is obtained as a by-product of petrol refining from crude oil or by dehydration of ethanol. Ethylene molecules compose of two methylene units (CH2) linked together by a double carbon
There is also debate on how much better biodegradable plastics are in the first place. This is because as biodegradable plastics break down, they break up into smaller and smaller pieces, but never quite disappear. This leaves the potential that the plastic would continue entering the food chain. But although biodegradable plastics aren’t perfect, they are still much safer than standard plastic and present a much lower risk. In addition, by making the shift to ban single use plastics, research towards better plastic alternatives will speed up and better solutions will become available. Over time, these new alternatives to plastics may spread to other items that aren’t single use, making an even greater impact on the health of humans and the
Today’s unprecedented technological advancement has accelerated the pace at which everyone is living. Time becomes a limited resource that every person tries to make the most use of. Therefore, convenience is the major quality highly valued in today’s world. Plastics strongly demonstrate such quality; plastics are light-weighted and disposable. Consequently, the use of plastics is prevalent, from simple objects, such as bags and bottles, to more complex components, such as computer boards. The benefits of plastics are countless; for instance, plastics are disposable and waterproof. However, many critics have raised questions regarding the threats posed by phenomenal plastics. What are the downsides of plastics? How should we cope with the plastic pollution around the globe? Susan Beraza has the answers to
German Chemist Hans von Pechmann first synthesized Polyethylene by accident in 1898 by heating diazomethane. His colleagues characterized the waxy substance polyethylene due to the fact that they recognized that it consisted of long ethene chains. It was then first industrially synthesized by accident in 1933 by applying extremely high pressure to ethylene and benzaldehyde. Over the years, development of polyethylene has increased due to the additions of catalyst. This makes ethylene polymerization possible at lower temperatures and pressures.1
Waste water treatment plants are essential to communities of all sizes and must work efficiently. Waste water treatment plant primary priority and responsibility is the treatment of incoming sewage water by the removal of biological and chemical wastes so it can be treated and recycled for future use. There are many government agencies and standards set forth to govern and observe the successful treatment of sewage such as: the Department of Environmental Quality, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and the Clean Water Act of 1972. Compliance and constant monitoring of the treatment plant’s operations are important; as they protect the surrounding community. A spill or backflow of sewage due to a complete system malfunction could potentially be detrimental to the environment and local community. A precise system, of which must be compliant according to government standards, is critical to maintain low levels of wastes that are returned to neighboring water systems after treatment.
Although companies across the globe continue to produce multiple polycarbonate #7 plastic products with BPA, more is being noticed about the adverse health effects to humans can be harmful. Testing on mice has proven that some exposure to BPA can be linked to Cancer and neurological disorders. In countries which have banned the use of BPA in different products, would agree that this chemical is toxic and dangerous. However, as long countries like the United States, who do not currently support banning BPA countrywide due to limited scientific data to back all claims, BPA will continue to be a global issue which continues to be hidden in the dark and a mystery globally
Humans eat fish and other sea creatures, so we are exposed to every chemical that the animals are. Due to landfill leakages, our water usually has traces of plastic chemicals. Everyday items such as teething rings or plastic cups can have traces of chemicals which enter the body. These levels are low enough that most do not realize anything, but the chemicals can have deadly effects on our bodies and health. High levels of Bisphenol A (BPA) can disrupt hormone balance, cause cancer, heart disease, and even interfere with the brain 's functioning. The developing immune systems of infants and children are more susceptible to the health risks of BPA, so the side effects can be more prevalent and severe
made from oil and natural gas. Using plastics to replace packaging materials such as metal
These fragments absorb all the toxins that pollute waterways, contaminate soil, and sicken animals (which are then consumed). Plastic trash also absorbs organic pollutants such as BPA. They take centuries to decompose while sitting in landfills, amounting to billions of environmentally poisonous time bombs. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound used to create polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastics are found in a wide range of products, but food and drink containers are the most concerning.
Vidal, J. (n.d.). 'Sustainable' bio-plastic can damage the environment | Environment | The Guardian . Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk . Retrieved May 22, 2010, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/environm
Improvement and upgrading of wastewater treatment processes and also the need to reduce the environmental factors make the use of tertiary wastewater treatment important.