Polypropylene resins consumption

Thermoplastics. The highest consumption of color concentrates is in thermoplastic resins, such as low and high density polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, and polystyrene. Processing techniques for thermoplastics are usually based on dry color dispersion in a compatible resin (36). 

The consumption of 4-/ f2 -butylphenol in the production of phenohc resins represents an appHcation in a mature market and Htfle growth is projected. Its use in end-capping polycarbonates, in the production of glycidyl ethers, and in the production of nucleation agents for polypropylene is expected to grow at a rate above the growth of the GNP (see Table 3). 

Plastics and rubber are essential materials in today s industrialized societies. The consumption of plastics has grown by a factor of about 60 in the past 30 years, which has led to a corresponding increase in the generation of plastic wastes. One of the most valuable properties of plastics, their low density, is one of the major limitations in the recycling of plastic wastes. Thus, to recover one tonne of plastics it is necessary to collect about 20 000 plastic bottles. Plastic wastes are mainly found in municipal solid wastes (MSW). As a consequence of their low density, plastics account for just 8 wt% of the MSW, but this value increases to over 20% in volume terms. In spite of the great diversity of plastic materials, plastic wastes are made up of a relatively small number of polymers polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene terephthalate. These resins account for more than 90% of total plastic wastes. 

Polyolefins are the largest volume, most versatile, most cost effective, industrial plastic resins available in the marketplace today. Together, polyethylene (HDPE, LLDPE, LDPE) and polypropylene represent about 60% of global plastic consumption. 

Plastics. Plastics denotes the matrix thermoplastic or thermoset materials in which additives are used to improve the performance of the total system. There are many different types of plastics that use large volumes of chemical additives including (in order of total additive consumption) polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the polyolefins [polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP)], the styrenics —[polystyrene (PS) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)], and engineering resins such as polycarbonate and nylon. 

Clearly, the combinations of resins and fillers and the resulting property variations are endless (see Fig. 6-2). The point is that each combination is in fact a new material with its own trade-offs. Some properties will be improved, others unchanged, and still others diminished from those of the basic unfilled plastic. In this chapter there is no relationship, direct or implied, between any plastic in terms of the space given it and its performance or the size of its market. The largest consumption of these plastics is low-density polyethylene (LDPE) formulations, at about 25 percent weightwise, followed by high-density polyethylene (HDPE), then polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polystyrene. These together total about two-thirds of all plastic consumption. 

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