The polymer/plastics industry

1           Introduction

The chemical industry sector has many important areas and the production of polymers/plastics is one of these critical areas, According to Fink (2013), this area involves the production of all the categories of manmade fibers and plastics that are used on a daily basis. In fact, the production of plastics and manmade fibers takes over a third of this sector in terms of the size or amount of products made. This area consists of several products largely for packaging other goods as well as other applications. As the industry develops, more demand for these products has emerged showing how the area is important to industrial applications. In terms of the raw materials and the production processes, the materials can vary depending on the end product. Further, these products are in high demand indicating that consumers really need these products to gain from their applications. The impacts on the environment also vary – environmental pollution is considered one of the many negative impacts of materials made by this part of the chemical industry (Chanda & Roy, 2008). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the polymer/plastics industry to understand the main products made in this area, their applications, production processes, raw materials, and the overall impact of these products on the environment. Relevant discussion is provided on these areas before conclusions are presented.

2           Body

In this part of the chemical industry, the final products include polyethylene (PE), PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) and polystyrene (PS). The polypropylene (PP) is also considered a major product in this area. According to Ghosh (2001), the manmade products in this area also include nylon and polyesters that are useful for several applications. These commodities noted above are in high demand by users meaning that the community needs them. For polyethylene, the products made are quite useful in the making of packaging materials that include bottlers and containers. This material is also useful in making pipes for several applications. The PVC is also made in large volumes for the construction of pipes. This material can also be used in the construction of packaging materials, but this is only to a small extent.

The raw materials used to make polymers or plastics include general petrochemicals. These can be made in the industry from crude oil, natural, and liquefied petroleum gas. This means that regions that mine crude oil provide the basic raw materials for making these products. This doesn’t mean that the production of these materials is geographically limited – regions that do not mine crude oil can buy it from the markets and develop these products. In terms of the energy inputs required in this area of chemicals, electrical power and heating may be required for production. The production processes are varied since it is the end product that determines the thermal, physical, and chemical processes that are employed in the production of these products.

For example, in the production of polyethylene, the polymerization process is used where the main ingredient, also called the monomer, is converted in an exothermic reaction with metal oxides that act as catalysts. For instance, the titanium (III) chloride can be applied as the catalyst to form the polymerized product. Further, once the product has been developed, further joining to create the necessary polystyrene product is done using processes that can include heat sealing, fusion, fastening, or wielding (Plunkett, 2006). Once all these processes are applied to the polyethylene, it is possible to create a final product for the required application.  In addition to the PVC, polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene products noted above, it is notable that there are other additional products that are produced to meet the demand of industries but in a smaller scale compared to the products noted above. Some of the notable derivative products can include explosives, rubber, dyes, and resins. These are produced to fill demand in specific industry areas. In some of these areas such as that of explosives, the products are made through specialized chemical processes where additives are sought to achieve the necessary functionality of the product.

Therefore, the products made in this area of the chemical industry are wide-ranging and their applications can vary in the markets. However, their applications are similar all over the world. The PVC products are more used in the creation of construction pipes while polyethylene is used mostly in the creation of packaging materials (Ebnesajjad, 2013). The polypropylene is useful in creating packaging materials, appliances, and carpets. The products made from polystyrene also play a role in packaging and recreational toys and other goods can also be achieved. This area of the chemical industry is very advanced meaning that the science and engineering methods can be tweaked using different inputs and production processes to achieve the intended. Even though the products made in this area are very useful, they lead environmental pollution mostly because of the methods used in production and the dumping of waste after these processes. The products made in this area also contribute to pollution since consumers dump most of these products after use.

Pollution is a major cause for worry in most communities because products made in this industry are no biodegradable. When the PVC and polyethylene products such as packaging boxes, papers, pipes, and toys are dumped after use, they are a major source of pollution all over the world. Therefore, it is the duty of jurisdictions to ensure that they enact relevant guidelines and laws to curb the pollution that is caused by products in this area. INSERT noted that the non-biodegradable products made in this industry cannot be destroyed by bacteria or living organisms once they are dumped in the environment. Further, their destruction through burning releases dangerous gases that can pollute the air. In retrospect, most products in this industry can highly pollute the environment once they are dumped after use. Polythene papers and PVC pipes highly pollute the environment leading to various health and safety concerns.

It is the responsibility of jurisdictions or nations to develop relevant regulations and laws to curb the pollution that comes from these products. For instance, nations can develop the relevant system of laws to promote re-use and recycling of the products to reduce the environmental pollution that is associated with these products.

3           Conclusion

One of the major areas of the chemicals industry is the area involved with plastics/polymers. In this area of industry, polyethylene, PVC, polystyrene, and polypropylene are the major products made. These products are made from monomers derived from hydrocarbons. This means that the raw materials for making these products can be derived from crude oil, natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas. Even though this is the major product used in creating them, it doesn’t mean that their production is geographically limited to nations or regions where the raw materials are mined. The nations that do not product these raw materials can easily purchase them from the global markets and engage in the production. The other additional derivative products in this area include resins, explosives, rubber and dyes. These have clear applications in the community, but they share a similar problem related to pollution with the four other major polymer products noted above. In terms of the community concerns of pollution, these products have major implications especially because the production process outputs waste that pollutes the environment. When the consumers have exhausted the useful life of the products, their dumping leads to more pollution of the environment. In fact, the pollution of the environment due to plastics or polymers has been one of the major concerns around the globe. It creates serious health and safety concerns. Therefore, nations need to develop systems of laws and regulations that cover how these products are developed and used. Their re-use and recycling is one major strategy that has been sought by nations to reduce the pollution caused by these products.

References

Chanda, M., & Roy, S. K. (2008). Industrial Polymers, Specialty Polymers, and Their Applications. CRC Press.

Ebnesajjad, S. (2013). Handbook of Biopolymers and Biodegradable Plastics: Properties, Processing and Applications. William Andrew.

Fink, J. K. (2013). Reactive Polymers Fundamentals and Applications: A Concise Guide to Industrial Polymers. William Andrew.

Ghosh, P. (2001). Polymer Science and Technology: Plastics, Rubbers, Blends and Composites. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.

Plunkett, J. W. (2006). Plunkett’s Chemicals, Coatings & Plastics Industry Almanac 2007: Chemicals, Coatings & Plastics Industry Market Research, Statistics, Trends & Leading. Plunkett Research.