Plastics industry continued

The plastic industry continues to move away from toxic colorants, especially those based on heavy metals such as chromium, cadmium, and lead. In the U.S., at least 18 states ban the use of heavy metals, including colorants, in packaging materials. The European Union and some other countries have restrictions on their use, as well. The use of organic colorants or heavy-metal-free (HMF) colorants is continuously increasing, and many colorant producer companies are replacing all of their heavy-metal-containing colorants with systems that present fewer environmental problems and legal restrictions. Colorants incorporated in plastic containers in direct contact with food have to be cleared by FDA, as is the case for other additives. 

Elastic-plastic fiacture mechanics has been extensively used in studies on plastics, but to data mainly tty research laboratories. The plastics industry continues to rely on impact testing, and in particular the notched Izod test, as the principal method for assessing toughness. One of the most important contributions of fracture mechanics to potymer engineering has been to provide a theoretical basis for understanding these impact test data. 

Plastics in MSW The Americas, in the United States, plastic resin sales and captive use reached 46.2 million tons in 2001, a 4% decrease from 2000, according to the American Plastics Council (1). Resin production rose to 45.9 milUon tons in 2001, up 4.8% from the previous year. The U.S. plastics industry continues to expand into new markets as plastic products come to replace ones made of wood and metal (Fig. 1). In the United States, some 232 million tons of MSW were generated in 2000, an increase of 0.9 million tons over 1999 (Fig. 2). Of this stream, plastics constitute about 10.7 wt%. Plastic containers and packaging dominate, followed by materials in goods such as automobiles, appliances, electronics, furniture, and carpeting. Plastic resins used in containers and packaging include poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET in soft drink bottles with polypropylene [PP] caps), high density polyethylene (HDPE in milk and water bottles), poly(vinyl... 

Raw materials in the polymer and plastics industry continue to be predominantly based on non-renewable or so-called fossil feedstocks with only minor utilization of renewable feedstocks. This is not surprising as a whole infrastructure is in place from inexpensive raw materials to processes and products that have been highly optimized to meet a wide array of markets with very acceptable and very favourable cost/performance characteristics. The production of monomers from fossil feedstocks and their polymerization is under excellent quality control with many characteristics called for in green chemistry principles such as good atom efficient, few hazardous raw materials, limited solvents, and tight emission controls. 

Research and development programs have been initiated by the cellular plastics industry to develop viable substitute blowing agents. These must have similar or improved properties to their CFC counterparts at a reasonable cost. Emphasis was initially placed on HCFC 123 and HCFC 141b, both having much shorter lifetimes and considerably less effect (up to 50 times) on o2one layer depletion (22). However, various options, including gas mixtures, water, or CO2 blown foams, continue to be studied ultimately to eliminate all CFCs and HCFCs. 

The rapid rise of the plastics industry since World War II may be attributed to a number of factors. Foremost has been the fact that whilst many materials of construction have been subjected to continual increases in their price, the development of the petrochemicals industry and economies of scale have, for most of the time, led to reductions in the prices of plastics materials. With the passage of time more and more products constructed from traditional materials have become cheaper to produce from plastics. Whilst economies of scale have probably almost reached their limits, and whilst the low profitability of many plastics-producing plants may cause companies to retard increases in plant and production, the trend of increased plastics usage seems bound to continue. 

Fumaric acid is used in the plastics industry, in the food industry and as a source of malic add. Although demand has increased rapidly over the last 30 years its production from fermentation has been totally replaced by a chemical method. It is now produced far more cheaply by the catalytic oxidation of hydrocarbons, particularly benzene. With the continuing uncertainties concerning the availability and cost of petroleum, however, fermentation may yet be a viable alternative. 

The mature plastics industry is a worldwide, multibillion-dollar industry in which a steady flow of new or improved plastic materials, new or improved production processes, and new or improved market demands has caused rapid and tremendous growth in the use of plastics. For over a century the World of Plastics product production, with over a billion products, continues to expand enormously with the passing of time. Manufacturers are introducing new products in record time. The ability to shrink time-to-market schedules continues to evolve through the more knowledgeable application and behavior or familiarity of the different plastic ma-... 

The early development of modern plastic materials (over a century) can be related to the electrical industry. The electronic and electrical industry continues to be not only one of the major areas for plastic applications, they are a necessity in many applications worldwide (2,190). The main reasons is that plastic designed products are generally basically inexpensive, easily shaped, fast production dielectric materials with variable but controllable electrical properties, and jn most cases the plastics are used because they are good insulators (Chapter 5, ELECTRICAL PROPERTY). 

PAEK) plastic that cost 40/lb was being market in dental implants, bone replacement joints, and components for the hip, elbow, finger, knee, spine, and other body products. And so all these type of actions continue in the plastic industry worldwide. 

Table 10.4 shows the main trends affecting the overall polymer business. However, differentiation according to polymer type is necessary (Table 10.5). The plastics industry still has a highly fragmented structure, and consolidation will continue in order to meet the demands of global competition, until there are no further incremental efficiencies to be gained. At the present time, the plastics industry is plagued by low profit margins and surplus capacity.

Billions of pounds of polyolefins are produced annually in the world [1], Through simple insertion reactions, inexpensive and abundant olefins are transformed into polymeric materials for a wide range of applications including plastics, fibers, and elastomers. Despite its long history, the polyolefin industry continues to grow steadily and remains technologically driven because of continuous discovery of... 

Flexibility. Although less relevant to pharmaceutical manufacturing at present, continuous processing plant is capable of online changes of product specification. The plastics industry is a good example of the use of this facility [8]. 

TP he automobile industry has become a significant contributor to the tremendous growth of the plastics industry in the past five years. In 1965 there was approximately 30 pounds of plastic per automobile. In 1969 there is approximately 85 pounds of plastic per automobile. The total plastic consumption by the automotive industry is expected to continue this phenomenal growth through at least the next ten years. 

The first shaping method is a steady continuous process. It is among the oldest methods, and is used extensively in the rubber and plastics industries. It includes the classic calendering, as well as various continuous coating operations, such as knife and roll coating. 

If this is a project sponsored by a for-profit company, the polymer chemist will need a synthetic procedure that is practical, safe, and environmentally benign, that can be scaled up for manufacturing, and that is inexpensive enough so the company can make a profit. It should come as no surprise that as the electronics industry continues to produce smaller and more sophisticated devices, the demand for new ideas and new materials remains extremely high. For one, a plastic semiconductor stable in air (Anon. CEN 2002) or a polymeric transistor (Dagani 2001) that could replace silicon would eliminate the need for complicated and relatively expensive silicon fabrication technology. 

Industry continues to go through a major evolution in reinforced plasuc (RP) structural and semi-structural materials. RP has been developed to produce an exceptionally strong and corrosive material. The RP products normally contain from 10 to 40wt% of plastic, although in some cases plastic content may go as high as 60% or more (Figures 15.1 and 15.2). 

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