Maria Los Plant Plastic Science 8B 9/4/11
If you took a very high-powered microscope and looked and looked at the plastic up close, you would see something that looks very much like a bunch of spaghetti dumped upon a plate. This is because, in
plastic the atoms are linked together in kind of chain form. These are called polymers. The reason
they look like spaghetti is because, like this pasta, when put together they become entangled around
each other. This is the reason it is so hard to break plastic, and why many companies use it in their
products. Yet the downside of this is that it takes a very long time to degrade, years and sometimes
even centuries! Some of these problems can be resolved by recycling this plastic but not everyone
recycles. Since there is so much plastisc, the product that we throw away or don't use is then put
into landfills. Another problem with plastic is what it is made of, crude oil. Crude oil but be taken out
of the ground, which mean trees are cut down, the homes of many animals are demolished, and the ground must to dug up. Also, since oil is a non-renewable resource, when we run out of it, there's no more.
Plus plastic takes up 8% of the worlds crude oil for the actual plastic and manufacturing. Yet how
much of this stuff do we use? In 2010, 1.5 metric tons of only transparent plastic was sold in North
America alone. Experts estimate that by year 2015, this will be 1.8 metric tons. Yet there are
alternatives, some scientists are using materials such as wood, the stalks and husks of corn, instead
of oil to create plastic. Not only will using plants mean that we will not have to dig into the earth to
make plastic but the plastic that we do make will be biodegradable. So why aren't we mass creating this type of plastic and getting rid of the old one? Well, because making plastic with plants is much harder.This because the structure of the polymers in plants are different from those in oil. This also means that the plastic made from plants is not waterproof, making it impractical to be used for everyday. Yet, there is, again, a solution! Scientists are now using enzymes to create plant polymers which makes them stronger, making the durable which is more practical. Hopefully we will be able to create many different products that replace the ones that we have but that are more eco-frindly.
I found this article very interesting because nowadays we are using so much plastic that is reassuring to know that even though you recycle there are people out there who are trying to find ways to help make the planet healthier in a way. I found this article while looking for something to do my current events about, this kind of popped out at me because of the comparison to spaghetti. I definitely agree with what this article is proposing, I think it is a much better alternative to what we are using now.
To read more visit: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2011/07/plant-powered-plastics/
If you took a very high-powered microscope and looked and looked at the plastic up close, you would see something that looks very much like a bunch of spaghetti dumped upon a plate. This is because, in
plastic the atoms are linked together in kind of chain form. These are called polymers. The reason
they look like spaghetti is because, like this pasta, when put together they become entangled around
each other. This is the reason it is so hard to break plastic, and why many companies use it in their
products. Yet the downside of this is that it takes a very long time to degrade, years and sometimes
even centuries! Some of these problems can be resolved by recycling this plastic but not everyone
recycles. Since there is so much plastisc, the product that we throw away or don't use is then put
into landfills. Another problem with plastic is what it is made of, crude oil. Crude oil but be taken out
of the ground, which mean trees are cut down, the homes of many animals are demolished, and the ground must to dug up. Also, since oil is a non-renewable resource, when we run out of it, there's no more.
Plus plastic takes up 8% of the worlds crude oil for the actual plastic and manufacturing. Yet how
much of this stuff do we use? In 2010, 1.5 metric tons of only transparent plastic was sold in North
America alone. Experts estimate that by year 2015, this will be 1.8 metric tons. Yet there are
alternatives, some scientists are using materials such as wood, the stalks and husks of corn, instead
of oil to create plastic. Not only will using plants mean that we will not have to dig into the earth to
make plastic but the plastic that we do make will be biodegradable. So why aren't we mass creating this type of plastic and getting rid of the old one? Well, because making plastic with plants is much harder.This because the structure of the polymers in plants are different from those in oil. This also means that the plastic made from plants is not waterproof, making it impractical to be used for everyday. Yet, there is, again, a solution! Scientists are now using enzymes to create plant polymers which makes them stronger, making the durable which is more practical. Hopefully we will be able to create many different products that replace the ones that we have but that are more eco-frindly.
I found this article very interesting because nowadays we are using so much plastic that is reassuring to know that even though you recycle there are people out there who are trying to find ways to help make the planet healthier in a way. I found this article while looking for something to do my current events about, this kind of popped out at me because of the comparison to spaghetti. I definitely agree with what this article is proposing, I think it is a much better alternative to what we are using now.
To read more visit: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2011/07/plant-powered-plastics/
Excellent response to your first current event. We will be talking about the impact of industrial pollution on ecosystems shortly and you will be well ahead. Thanks for sharing this informative piece of writing with me. I like your spaghetti analogy for polymers.
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