Polymers in Building and Construction

The use of synthetic polymers in building and construction is also increasing at a rapid rate. Flooring is a mixture of wood, synthetic and clad wood, carpet, and tile, all polymeric. While carpets were once derived from natural materials such as cotton and wool, today almost all of them are derived from synthetic polymers and include nylon, polyester, olefins, and polyacrylonitrile. 

P. Dufton, Polymers in Building and Construction, Rapra Industry Analysis Reports, Rapra Technology Ltd., Shawbury, Shrewsbury, UK, 1997. 

The fifth and final section opens with a chapter on design of plastic parts then presents applications plastics in buildings and construction, infrastructure applications of fiber-reinforced polymer composites, the plastic piping industry in North America, and PET use in blow-molded rigid packaging. 

Applications Rapid industrial polymer identification systems have been developed to sort plastic components in cars, plastics used in the building and construction industry and plastic films. In recycling of plastics... 

This article discusses traditional building and construction products, ie, not made from synthetic polymers (see Building MATERIALS, PLASTIC), including wood, asphalt, gypsum, glass products, Portland cement, and bricks. The article presents information about each basic material, the products made from it, the basic processes by which the products or materials are produced, estimates of the quantity or dollar value of the quantities produced or used in the United States, and some pertinent chemical or physical properties related to the material. More detailed chemical and physical property data can be found in articles devoted to the individual materials (see Asphalt Cement Glass Wood). 

Second behind packaging in the United States is the use of polymers in fiber and fiberfill applications that encompass the apparel, sports equipment, building and construction, electronic, furniture and furnishings, and industrial/machinery markets. In 1998, 4.8 million metric t of manufactured fiber was produced for use in traditional consumer products such as apparel, carpets, upholstered furniture, and bedding as well as in high-tech applications such as composite materials, medical devices, and electronic circuit boards (17). Key fiber types include polyester, nylon, olefin,... 

The single use of vinyl chloride is in the manufacture of poly(vinyl chloride) plastic, which finds diverse applications in the building and construction industry as well as in the electrical, apparel, and packaging industries. Poly(vinyl chloride) does degrade relatively fast for a polymer, but various heat, ozone, and ultraviolet stabilizers make it a useful polymer. A wide variety of desirable properties can be obtained by using various... 

Geh>y<8>. [GE nasties] Acrylic-s rene-acrylonitrile terpolymers outdoor wemherable polymer used in the building and construction maricet fev window and door profiles, gutters and downspouts, mobile home skirting, and csyjstock f(v siding. 

The term acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) is used very broadly to define an important class of thermoplastic materials of which there are many different grades. These materials are used extensively in electrical a pliances, in the building and construction industries and in automotive componoits. Certain grades of ABS also find use as toughening agents in blends with other polymers, for example polycarbonates and polyamides (see Sections 19.8 and 19.9.3). 

We can see that the production of pipe for large-scale applications in the building and construction sectors and for utility distribution purposes forms part of our economic foundations traceable to fossil fuel exploitation. The market forces that constrain the profitability of mass-market pipe producers tend to support the trends to converge production into large-scale units and polymer purchase arrangements with close affinity to the petrochemical majors. 

There has been a decline in recent years in the market share held by PVC and styrenics in Europe, with an increase in polyolefin and engineering plastics, although overall growth has been adversely affected by the migration of electronics manufacture to Asia. The biggest PVC compound market is still building and construction, and four of the five biggest PVC compounders are also PVC polymer producers. 

Worldwide, 165 million tonnes of polymer was consumed in 2003. The largest sector was packaging with 63 M tonnes, followed by building and construction with 30 M, and automobile and transport 12 M (about the same as electrical and electronics). Smaller sectors include agriculture at 5 M and medical at 2 M tonnes. 

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