Plasticizers future

Table 9 compares the most important properties of substrate materials based on BPA-PC, PMMA, and CPO (three different products) (216,217). The future will prove if the current disadvantages of CPO against BPA-PC regarding warp, processibiUty (melt viscosity), and especially cost can be alleviated. CycHc polyolefins (CPO) and, especially cycloolefin copolymers (COC) (218) and blends of cycloolefin copolymers with suitable engineering plastics have the potential to be interesting materials for substrate disks for optical data storage. 

The future for mica is ia the speciaUty plastic market, eg, as a molecular barrier ia plastic containers and ia plastic automobile parts. 

Spheres. HoUow spherical fillers have become extremely useflil for the plastics industry and others. A wide range of hoUow spherical fillers are currently available, including inorganic hoUow spheres made from glass, carbon, fly ash, alumina, and 2h conia and organic hoUow spheres made from epoxy, polystyrene, urea—formaldehyde, and phenol—formaldehyde. Although phenol—formaldehyde hoUow spheres are not the largest-volume product, they serve in some important appHcations and show potential for future use. 

The plasticization of PVC accounts for the vast majority of plasticizer sales. However, significant amounts of plasticizers are used in non-PVC polymers and this may become increasingly important in the future. Although PVC stands alone in its abiUty to accept and retain large quantities of commercial plasticizer, effective plasticization of other resins using slightly modified plasticizers may be possible if certain conditions specific to the polymer of interest are met. 

Emissions During Plasticizer Production and Distribution. Phthalate plasticizers are produced by esterification of phthaUc anhydride in closed systems hence losses to atmosphere are minimal. Inquiries of all the principal plasticizer producers indicate a maximum total emission in Western Europe of 220 t/yr, 90% of which is to the water compartment. This level is expected to decrease in the future due to increa sing plant water treatment. 

There have been numerous communications on the subject of biodegradation test methods, including aerobic compost (30), anaerobic bioreactor (31), general methodology and future directions (32—34), and a fine review article (24). ASTM (22) and MITI (35) have also set forth standard testing protocols for plastics, as shown in Table 2, whereas OECD test methods (29) are more suited to water-soluble polymers. 

Nonionic surfactants and phenoUc resins based on alkylphenols are mature markets and only moderate growth in these derivatives is expected. Concerns over the biodegradabiUty and toxicity of these alkylphenol derivatives to aquatic species may limit their use in the future. The use of alkylphenols in the production of both polymer additives and monomers for engineering plastics is expected to show above average growth as plastics continue to replace traditional building materials. 

The future for amino resins and plastics seems secure because they can provide quaHties that are not easily obtained in other ways. New developments will probably be in the areas of more highly specialized materials for treating textiles, paper, etc, and for use with other resins in the formulation of surface coatings, where a small amount of an amino resin can significantly increase the value of a more basic material. Additionally, since amino resins contain a large proportion of nitrogen, a widely abundant element, they may be in a better position to compete with other plastics as raw materials based on carbon compounds become more costly. 

The widespread use of plastics film for printing paper appears to be only a remote possibility in the near future. There is, however, the prospect of the establishment of polyethylene film for use in service manuals, maps and other printed articles which are required to be resistant to water, oils and other liquids. 

This section was written for the fourth edition published in 1982 at a time when there had just been a further sharp increase in the price of petroleum. At the time I was optimistic about the future for plastics, although I did not anticipate the slump in oil prices that has taken place since then. Oil remains a finite resource and sooner or later prices wilt rise again. Apart from changing one word and inserting one other for technical reasons, I see no reason to otherwise change what I wrote then. 

The advent of the oil crisis of 1973 led to dire predictions about the future of plastics materials, which to date have not been realised. Before attempting to predict what will happen in the next few years it is worthwhile to consider why the growth of plastics was so spectacular during the period 1945-1973. 

The second factor listed above that affects the growth of plastics, namely improved capability, is self-explanatory, but the third, the decrease in relative costs for plastics, requires some explanation, particularly as this may have relevance to future prospects. 

What has made these plastic products successful was that there were those that knew the behavior of plastics and how to properly apply this knowledge. Recognize they did not have the tools that make it easier for us to now design products. Now we are more knowledgeable and in the future it will... 

Over the past century, many plastic products have been successfully designed for long-time creep performance based on the information and test data then available, but much more exists now and will in the future. 

One of the first all plastic house was the Monsanto House of the Future erected in Disneyland, CA, USA in 1957 (Fig. 4-6). The key structural components were four... 

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