Alexei Volkov
Plastics are synthetic or semisynthetic materials composed primarily of polymers. They are not listed on the periodic table of elements, which was created by Dmitri Mendeleev in the 19th century to group elements by atomic weight. The periodic table is interactive and allows users to view the atomic number, along with other properties of all 118 elements. Plastics are used in a wide range of sectors, including packaging, construction, textiles, transportation, and electronics. They are valued for their low weight, durability, flexibility, chemical resistance, and low cost of production.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Composition | Synthetic or semisynthetic materials composed primarily of polymers |
| Properties | Plasticity, low weight, durability, flexibility, chemical resistance, low toxicity, and low-cost production |
| Production | Made from natural gas, petroleum, or renewable resources like polylactic acid |
| Consumption | North America (21%), China (20%), and Western Europe (18%) are the top regions |
| Usage | Packaging (40%), construction (20%), textiles, consumer goods, transportation, electronics, optics, and machine parts |
| Environmental Impact | Helps reduce waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and save energy; but also has slow decomposition rate in natural ecosystems |
| Degradation | Can be degraded by microorganisms like fungi and bacteria, and aided by pre-exposure to ultraviolet radiation |
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What You'll Learn
Plastic consumption varies across the world
Plastic consumption and waste generation vary significantly across the world, with several countries taking steps to reduce their plastic footprint.
The world currently produces about 300-400 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with a large portion ending up in oceans and landfills. This waste primarily comes from OECD countries, with the United States and European nations being major contributors. For instance, the daily plastic waste per person in Germany is one of the highest globally at 0.46 kilograms, although the country has since reduced its plastic waste creation. Similarly, China, despite being one of the largest producers of plastic waste, has decreased its waste production significantly. Brazil, on the other hand, recycles only 1.28% of its total plastic waste, with the majority being incinerated or landfilled.
The consumption of plastic has quadrupled in the last three decades, driven by the growth in emerging markets. The production of plastic has also doubled since 2000, reaching almost 400 million metric tons in 2021. This increase in production has resulted in a substantial amount of plastic waste, with only 9% of all plastic waste ever produced being recycled. The recycling process is often complex and costly, and many plastics are not recyclable, leading to inadequate recycling infrastructure, especially in developing countries.
To address the plastic waste crisis, governments and environmental organizations are implementing policies and raising public awareness about the environmental and health impacts of plastic waste. Bans and taxes on single-use plastics exist in over 120 countries, and Africa stands out as the continent with the most countries adopting a total ban on plastic bag production and use. Additionally, Germany introduced a five-point plan to reduce plastic waste, and Pakistan implemented the Plastic-Bag Free Initiative to ban plastic bags. These initiatives are crucial in reducing plastic pollution and its adverse effects on the environment and human health.
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Plastic's primary use is packaging
Plastic is a very important material in the packaging industry, and it has become more widely used than other traditional packaging materials such as glass, wood, fabric, paper, and metal. The primary use of plastics is packaging because of its efficiency in terms of cost, safety, energy, and convenience.
Plastics are lightweight, strong, durable, resistant, and cheap to produce. It is estimated that it takes just two pounds of plastic to transport ten gallons of liquid, compared with 40 pounds of glass or four pounds of metal (aluminum). This makes plastic the most energy-efficient material to use in packaging. More products can be shipped using less fuel, resulting in lower emissions and cost savings for distributors, retailers, and consumers. For example, a lorry filled with glass-jarred products would have 36% of its load made up of packaging, whereas if the same products were packaged in plastic pouches, packaging would only account for 3.56% of the load.
The nature of plastics technology and its wide variety of raw materials and processing techniques allow for the manufacture of packaging in an infinite variety of shapes, colors, and technical properties. Practically anything can be packed in plastics—liquids, powders, solids, and semi-solids. Plastic packaging is also shatterproof, hygienic, and can be filled and sealed without human intervention. It can be produced with tamper-evident and child-resistant closures, and its transparency enables users to examine the condition of goods prior to purchase.
Plastic packaging also helps extend the shelf life of fresh foods and beverages. Some types of plastics, such as polypropylene, have excellent moisture and gas barrier properties, making them perfect for food containers. They can protect and hold carbon dioxide in fizzy drinks, and their oxygen barrier properties can help preserve items. Plastic packaging can also be recycled, with some types able to be recycled six or more times before their properties are weakened.
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Plastic is composed of polymers
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials composed primarily of polymers. Their defining characteristic, plasticity, allows them to be moulded, extruded, or pressed into a diverse range of solid forms. This adaptability, combined with a range of other properties, has led to their widespread use around the world. Plastics can be classified by the chemical process used in their synthesis, such as condensation, polyaddition, and cross-linking. They can also be classified by their physical properties, including hardness, density, tensile strength, thermal resistance, and glass transition temperature. One important classification of plastics is the degree to which the chemical processes used to make them are reversible or not. Thermoplastics, for example, do not undergo chemical change when heated and can be moulded repeatedly.
Plastics are composed of chains of polymers. Many different chemicals are used as additives in plastics to improve their performance or appearance. A randomly chosen plastic product generally contains around 20 additives. Additives may be weakly bound to the polymers or react in the polymer matrix. In polyvinyl chloride (PVC), used widely for sanitary plumbing, additives can constitute up to 80% of the total volume. Unadulterated plastic (barefoot resin) is rarely sold.
The other category of plastics is made up of heterochain polymers. These compounds contain atoms such as oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur in their backbone chains, in addition to carbon. Most engineering plastics are composed of heterochain polymers. An example is polycarbonate, whose molecules contain two aromatic (benzene) rings. For each polymer type, there can be many subtypes, as any of a dozen industrial producers of any polymer can offer variations for use in specific applications.
Intrinsically conducting polymers (ICPs) are organic polymers that conduct electricity. While a conductivity of up to 80 kilosiemens per centimeter (kS/cm) in stretch-oriented polyacetylene has been achieved, it does not approach that of most metals. Biodegradable plastics are plastics that degrade upon exposure to biological factors, such as sunlight, ultra-violet radiation, moisture, bacteria, enzymes, or wind abrasion. Some companies produce biodegradable additives to further promote biodegradation.
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Plastic is used in construction
Plastic is a general name for synthetic materials based on polymers. The construction industry uses plastic for a wide range of applications because of its versatility, strength-to-weight ratio, durability, corrosion resistance, and cost-effectiveness. Plastic is the second most used material in construction after packaging.
Plastic is a popular material for construction due to its lightweight and strong nature. Its use in construction can help to reduce waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and save energy. Plastic insulation, sealants, and other building products can make buildings more energy-efficient and reduce costs for heating and cooling.
However, plastic also has some disadvantages in construction. It has a high embodied energy content and a low modulus of elasticity, making it generally unsuitable for load-bearing applications. Most plastics are also ignitable and have a high thermal expansion rate. There are environmental concerns about some plastics due to the difficulty of recycling them and their persistence in the environment after disposal.
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Plastic's environmental impact
Plastic pollution has become ubiquitous in natural and built environments, from the Antarctic tundra to tropical coral reefs. It is a global problem, with plastic waste leaking into aquatic ecosystems and polluting lakes, rivers, and seas. The environmental impacts of discarded plastics are wide-ranging and include littering, the leaching of toxic components, and the contamination of ecosystems and the food chain with microplastics.
Microplastics, ranging in size from five millimeters to one nanometer, and nanoplastics, smaller than one micrometer, are found in every ecosystem on the planet. They are ingested by marine species, putting them at risk of suffocation or entanglement. More than 1,500 species in marine and terrestrial environments are known to ingest plastics. In addition, plastic pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems' ability to adapt to climate change. This directly affects millions of people's livelihoods, food production capabilities, and social well-being.
The durability of plastics means that discarded items can remain in the environment for generations. Plastic pollution is persistent and can take between 100 to 1,000 years or more to decompose, depending on environmental conditions. Furthermore, plastic production contributes to climate change, with annual emissions related to plastic production in the EU amounting to around 13.4 million tonnes of CO2, or about 20% of the chemicals industry's emissions.
The EU's Zero Pollution Action Plan includes reducing plastic litter at sea and microplastics released into the environment. However, plastic consumption is accelerating globally, and only about 9% of plastics ever produced have been recycled. This crisis cannot be solved solely through recycling, and a systemic transformation is needed to transition to a circular economy.
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Frequently asked questions
No, plastic is not on the periodic table because it is a polymer, not an element. Only chemical elements are listed on the periodic table.
A polymer is a large molecule made up of many smaller, repeating units called monomers. Elements, on the other hand, are fundamental substances that cannot be chemically broken down into simpler substances.
Yes, there are numerous other common polymers, including natural ones such as cellulose (found in plants) and DNA, as well as synthetic ones like rubber, nylon, and polypropylene.
Yes, many plastics are made from petroleum products, which are ultimately derived from organic matter. The most common elements used in the production of plastics include carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
