Plastic without petroleum

Processing Aids. Petroleum oils are processing aids as well as softeners/extenders/plasticizers. This section concentrates on those materials which serve mainly as processing aids without a large contribution to vulcanized properties. They are most often used at much lower levels. 

Coal-tar pitch is particularly valuable to anode and electrode manufacturers The mam function is to plasticize coke gnst so that formed bodies can be extmded or molded without distortion during the later stages of processing Additionally, the pitch should give a high-carbon yield and not adversely affect the overall properties of the finished article. Although coal-tar pitch remains the bmder of choice, petroleum-based binders can perform satisfactorily for the aluminum industry [18]. 

Petroleum becomes more or less a plastic solid when cooled to sufficiently low temperatures. This is due to the congealing of the various hydrocarbons that constitute the oil. The cloud point of petroleum (or a product) is the temperature at which paraffin wax or other solidifiable compounds present in the oil appear as a haze when the oil is chilled under definitely prescribed conditions (ASTM D2500, D3117). As cooling is continued, petroleum becomes more solid, and the pour point is the lowest temperature at which the oil pours or flows under definitely prescribed conditions when it is chilled without disturbance at a standard rate (ASTM D97). 

Biotec s product portfolio includes thermoplastic starch, which can be substituted for petrochemical based plastic packaging. Stanelco s radio frequency sealing technology can be used to process starch polymers without the degradation caused by other methods such as thermal processing. The purchase of Biotec will help the company develop alternatives to petroleum-based packaging. 

Without realizing it, boaters churn waters and add petroleum compounds to them. Campers move into areas once inhabited by wild animals. Waders stir up sediment, step on underground burrows, and disturb breeding sites. Refuse from human activity means that birds get tangled in plastic lines and sea turtles ingest plastic bags, mistaking them for jellyfish. 

It would be appropriate to say at this point that this chapter deals more with crude oil economy than with crude oil chemistry. However, the aim of this chapter is to show the importance of crude oil chemistry not only for crude oil chemists, but also for all of mankind. Almost everything around us is derived from crude oil. This includes plastic parts, car fuel, jet fuel, oils, and even asphalt on the road these are all made from petroleum. It is hard to imagine what modern life would look like without these items, which began their existence from the oil well. 

Compression-molded soy protein plastics are rigid and brittle without plasticizers present in the formulation (Paetau et al., 1994). Water absorption of early protein plastics could not be reduced to the very low levels that were obtained with synthetic, petroleum-derived resin products however, color, dyeing, and strength properties were good and production costs were relatively low (Johnson Myers, 1995). 

Sustainability has many definitions. One way to think of it is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs (defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development held by the United Nations in 1983). The concept of sustainability is that we should synchronize our consumption of natural resources with the Earth s production - in other words, using up natural resources at the same rate at which they are produced. Compared to traditional polymers typically made from petroleum and other fossil resources such as natural gas, sustainable polymers are fuUy or partially biobased and/or biodegradable or compostable. They are bioplastics made from renewable resources (biomass) and can be broken down faster than traditional plastics. Sustainable polymers could also protect our Earth by offering a reduced carbon footprint, a reduced use of fossil resources, and improved end-of-life options. 

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