Industrial plastics have been around for a very long time. It is an amazing yet complicated process. Our world depends upon the manufacture and the use of plastics every day.
Now be honest - haven't you always wanted to know just how industrial plastics are manufactured? This may not be the most sensational news you've heard to date,
but it's still a good question and worth considering.
Let's break the process down a little bit, shall we?
The people who make industrial plastics are called chemical engineers or chemists. These are very intelligent and special people. Most of them are quite dedicated to their jobs.
The first thing the chemist does is to prepare the raw materials. Crude oil is a raw material that has special chemical compounds that make up the basis for plastic.
Now this is where it gets really technical so hang on!
The chemist then puts the chemicals from the oil through a special process called "polymerization". If I gave you the definition of that big word, you may still not understand it but here goes anyway. It's the "act or process of forming a polymer or polymeric compound." I told you so.
But you and I are most likely not chemists, and we're just trying to understand, in simple language, just how industrial plastics are made.
The next step is a reaction that is made from the polymerization and this is how polymer resins are created. The chemist then collects these resins and puts them through an even greater process which actually produces little pellets or beads. These beads are then heated and that's what is used to form plastic.
The plastic can then be shaped in molds and used to produce all sorts of items.
Truthfully, this is indeed a very interesting and remarkable procedure. Many businesses use this sort of process to make necessary things such as caps, plugs, screws, rivets, pins and clips to name a few. Each of these have a special place in the manufacturer's company.
But I also want to say that there are a tremendous amount of commonplace products made from plastic that we use every day.
Such items as:
Soft drink bottles
Plastic bags for carrying food and yard trash
Toys
Bottle closures and lids
Light switches
Shampoo bottles
Remote controls
The list can go on and on.
History tells us who was the very first person to create a product similar to plastic. His name was Alexander Parkes and the year was 1862. That's a long time ago.
He even had the courage to demonstrate how it was made during a public exhibit in London, England. It's hard to believe industrial plastics have been around that long. I'm sure the process has come a long way since then.
But is this product biodegradable?
Some is and some isn't. The manufacturing companies that make it are working hard to make it more earth-friendly.
We experience the usage of plastic every day in so many ways. I wouldn't want to even consider a world without it.
