Fossil fuel-based polymers

The importance of stimulating innovation can be seen by looking at the introduction of new polymers. Over the course of the 20th century, the development of fossil fuel-based polymers increased steadily up to the post-war period, stimulated by the abundance and low cost of basic petrochemicals. However, it has declined dramatically since 1960. Innovation in the traditional polymer industry today is mainly related to the application and blending of existing polymers. 

The most common waste management options for the fossil fuel-based polymers are incineration, landfill and mechanical recycling. In addition to these... 

The foregoing summary of the history of polyesters to date illustrates the diversity of chemical structures available and the wide range of uses to which they have been put, although it is far from being exhaustive. There can be no doubt that polyesters will continue to be one of the most important classes of polymer. Predictably, as the supply of cheap fossil-fuel-based chemical primaries declines, biological sources can be persuaded to yield appropriate intermediates and even polyesters themselves. 

A bio-based polymer on the other hand is a man-made polymer where the starting materials or raw materials (bnt not the polymer itself) are derived from living organisms (generally plants). These renewable feedstocks are used to make polymers varieties that are identical in chemistry to conventional fossil fuel-based plastics. 

The number of published LCAs for biopolymers and natural fibres is quite limited. This seems to be in contrast to the general public interest for this issue and to the more recent interest by policy makers. For example, no comprehensive LCAs have been published so far for PLA (plant-based), cellulose polymers (plant-based), and some fossil fuel-based biodegradable polymers, such as BASF s product Ecoflex. 

Recently, there has been considerable effort in the polymer industry towards developing more environmentally fiiendly materials. Bio-derived polymers have emerged as a potential alternative to conventional fossil fuel-based materials. They have similar mechanical properties to typical polymers, but are derived fi om renewable resomces and ean decade under certain conditions [1]. Two polymers that are classified as bioderived polymers are the general class of polymers known as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), and poly(lactic acid) (PLA). 

Most of the plastics and synthetic polymers that are used worldwide are produced from petrochemicals. Replacing petroleum-based feedstocks with materials derived from renewable resources is an attractive prospect for manufacturers of polymers and plastics, since the production of such polymers does not depend on the limited supply of fossil fuels [16]. Furthermore, synthetic materials are very persistent in the environment long after their intended use, and as a result their total volume in landfills is giving rise to serious waste management problems. In 1992,20% of the volume and 8% of the weight of landfills in the US were plastic materials, while the annual disposal of plastics both in the US and EC has risen to over 10 million tons [17]. Because of the biodegradability of PHAs, they would be mostly composted and as such would be very valuable in reducing the amount of plastic waste. 

In spite of the high level of commercial success of inorganic semi-conductor based photovoltaic cells, they are unlikely to challenge seriously electricity generation from fossil fuels because they are costly to manufacture and it is also difficult to make large area cells. These difficulties have spurred on research into organic alternatives, especially those that can be incorporated into or be part of a polymer, thus making cell construction easier. 

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