History of Plastic
What is plastic?
Plastics are actually a type of polymer. They come together in small pieces and become a larger and much longer chemical molecule than themselves. Scientifically, not all polymers are plastic, but the two terms are often used interchangeably.
Cellulose, proteins, and silk are examples of naturally occurring polymers.
Together with chemical additives added during the manufacturing process to increase the performance, functionality or life of the plastic, plastic polymers make up the wide variety of products we use today.
the invention of plastic
At the point of the invention of plastic, people in the mid-19th century knew that cellulose (the woody substance in plants) could be converted into a brittle material called cellulose nitrate. But in 1862, British chemist Alexander Parkes added camphor to it and invented the hard but formable plastic called parkesin. In 1869, American inventor John Hyatt succeeded in producing a similar material called celluloid, which was used by Kodak in 1889 to make photographic film.
The invention of the closest plastic to today, based on synthetic polymer, was succeeded by Belgian Leo Hendrik Baekeland in 1907. This plastic was made of phenol and formaldehyde. This discovery allowed plastic to be produced synthetically for the first time, making it practical and inexpensive.
raw material
Today, there are thousands of synthetic plastics, each with its own characteristics and uses. The raw material for many is still hydrocarbons (oil and natural gas), but over the past few decades, materials like carbon fiber have been added to produce super-light and super-durable plastics like Kevlar and CNRP.
Instead of something really soft, I thought I should make something that could be molded into different shapes.
Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland's words on the invention of bakelite.
recycling of plastic
Plastic is widely used because it is hard and durable and cannot be decomposed by bacteria. Once released to nature, it does not decompose for a very long time. There is currently huge amounts of waste plastic (100 million tons) in the oceans and it is causing serious harm to marine wildlife. It is very important to reduce the use of plastic and recycle as much as possible. Heat energy is required to reshape plastic; so the recycling rate is less than 10%, that is very low.
history
The history of plastic begins with 1862. So let's go chronologically:
Polyethylene – 1933
Although this type of plastic was first produced by British chemists Eric Fawcett and Reginald Gibson in 1898, its useful form was produced by Erhard Holzkamp in 1933. It is solid, soft and pliable; It is currently widely used in many plastics.
· Polypropylene – 1954
This durable type of plastic is resistant to many solvents and acids. It has various usage areas from packaging used in medical chemistry to bottles.
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