United States, plastics production

The term amino resin is usually appHed to the broad class of materials regardless of appHcation, whereas the term aminoplast or sometimes amino plastic is more commonly appHed to thermosetting molding compounds based on amino resins. Amino plastics and resins have been in use since the 1920s. Compared to other segments of the plastics industry, they are mature products, and their growth rate is only about half of that of the plastics industry as a whole. They account for about 3% of the United States plastics and resins production. 

Polymer science and technology have developed tremendously over the last few decades, and the production of polymers and plastics products has increased at a remarkable pace. By the end of 2000, nearly 200 million tons per year of plastic materials were produced worldwide (about 2% of the wood used, and nearly 5% of the oil harvested) to fulfill the ever-growing needs of the plastic age in the industrialized world plastic materials are used at a rate of nearly 100 kg per person per year. Plastic materials with over 250 billion per year contribute about 4% to the gross domestic product in the United States. Plastics have no counterpart in other materials in terms of weight, ease of fabrication, efficient utilization, and economics. 

Industry estimates indicate that up to 5% of the total resin production finds its way into prototype or mill shape plastic products. By mill shapes is meant those primary uniform configuration subject to established cross-sectional and length tolerances. While this estimate is necessarily conjectural, the best available information indicates that this range is accurate. Modem Plastics magazine estimated mill shape production for 1968 in acrylics, cellulose, nylon, acetal, polycarbonate, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, poly(vinyl chloride), and copolymers to approach 336.4 million pounds. Total United States resin production for 1968 slightly exceeded 16 billion pounds. 

Successful players in specialties have traditionally been less dependent on pure cost-reduction efforts, and these companies have consequently made less of an effort to improve production. In the United States, labor productivity increased by about 5 percent per aimum for plastics, as opposed to around 2 to 2.5 percent per annum for paints, fine chemicals, and pharmaceuticals over the last two decades. 

World consumers used 215 billion lb of the five most commonly used plastics in 1996.119 This included 41% polyethylene, 23% polyvinyl chloride, 21% polypropylene, 11% polystyrene, and 4% styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers. The world production of polyethylene tereph-thalate in 1996 was 9.8 billion lb. The United States plastics use in 1995 was 71.2 billion lb, of which 27% was used... 

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... 

Figure 9.1 United States Plastics generation, recovery, and recycling rate, 1960-2012, reported in 2014. Current production and recycling numbers and rate are highlighted [1].

Benzene was prepared from coal tar by August W von Hofmann m 1845 Coal tar remained the primary source for the industrial production of benzene for many years until petroleum based technologies became competitive about 1950 Current production IS about 6 million tons per year m the United States A substantial portion of this ben zene is converted to styrene for use m the preparation of polystyrene plastics and films... 

The annual production of styrene in the United States is approximately 1 2 X 10 lb with about 65% of this output used to prepare polystyrene plastics and films Styrofoam coffee cups are made from polystyrene Polystyrene can also be produced m a form that IS very strong and impact resistant and is used widely m luggage television and radio cabinets and furniture... 

Economic Aspects. In 1994 there were 8 operational insulation board producers in the United States. These mills produced about 1.15 X 10 m (2). The number of mills and total production volume have also decreased in this industry, primarily as a result of changes in building codes and avadabihty of other competitive sheathing products. Both wood composite panels and plastic foam sheathings have captured a segment of these markets. 

Tripoli. TripoH [1317-95-9] is a fine grained, porous, decomposed siHceous rock produced mainly in Arkansas, Illinois, and Oklahoma. It is widely used for polishing and buffing metals, lacquer finishing, and plated products. Since tripoH particles are rounded, not sharp, it has a mild abrasive action particularly suited for polishing. TripoH is also used in toothpastes, in jewelry polishing, and as filler in paints, plastics, and mbber. Rottenstone and amorphous siHca are similar to tripoH and find the same uses. In 1987 the abrasive use of tripoH in the United States totaled 26.6 million tons and was valued at about 3.1 million however, the portion used as a filler totaled 71.1 million tons and had a value of almost 10 million (4). 

Most of the acetic acid is produced in the United States, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, France, Canada, and Mexico. Total annual production in these countries is close to four million tons. Uses include the manufacture of vinyl acetate [108-05-4] and acetic anhydride [108-24-7]. Vinyl acetate is used to make latex emulsion resins for paints, adhesives, paper coatings, and textile finishing agents. Acetic anhydride is used in making cellulose acetate fibers, cigarette filter tow, and ceUulosic plastics. 

Adipic acid is a very large volume organic chemical. Worldwide production in 1986 reached 1.6 x 10 t (3.5 x 10 lb) (158) and in 1989 was estimated at more than 1.9 x 10 t (Table 7). It is one of the top fifty (159) chemicals produced in the United States in terms of volume, with 1989 production estimated at 745,000 t (160). Growth rate in demand in the United States for the period 1988—1993 is estimated at 2.5% per year based on 1987—1989 (160). Table 7 provides individual capacities for U.S. manufacturers. Western European capacity is essentially equivalent to that in the United States at 800,000 t/yr. Demand is highly cycHc (161), reflecting the automotive and housing markets especially. Prices usually foUow the variabiUty in cmde oil prices. Adipic acid for nylon takes about 60% of U.S. cyclohexane production the remainder goes to caprolactam for nylon-6, export, and miscellaneous uses (162). In 1989 about 88% of U.S. adipic acid production was used in nylon-6,6 (77% fiber and 11% resin), 3% in polyurethanes, 2.5% in plasticizers, 2.7% miscellaneous, and 4.5% exported (160). 

Eastman Goal Chemicals. In 1983 Eastman Chemical Co. became the first chemical producer in the United States to return to coal as a raw material for large-scale manufacture of industrial chemicals (35). In that year, Eastman started manufacturing acetic anhydride from coal. Acetic anhydride is a key intermediate for production of coatings, ceUulosic plastics, and cellulose acetate fibers. Acetic anhydride from other sources also is used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, starches and sweeteners, and flavors and fragrances. 

Fomialdehyde is a basic chemical budding block for the production of a wide range of chemicals finding a wide variety of end uses such as wood products, plastics, and coatings. Table 6 shows the distribution of formaldehyde production in the United States from 1966 through 1989 (115). Production percentages reported in the following discussion are for the United States. 

Costs of ceUular plastic insulations are stiU higher than those of fibrous and other mass insulation types, but these can often be justified based on overall advantages of combined stmctural, thermal, and permeance properties. It is difficult to provide a single cost for each material type since there are many different forms of a material-based product avaUable and differing forms of manufacture and appHcation, often in combination with other materials. In the United States, EPS board costs on the order of 0.12 to 0.18 XEPS, 0.25 to 0.30 and PU, 0.30 to 0.35, per board foot ( 0.30/board ft fx 127/m ). 

Total consumption of lead in the United States in 1993 reached 1,318,800 t. Of this, 766,000 t (58%) is allocated to battery use suppHed as either a mixed oxide or as metal. Approximately 95% of batteries are recycled and the lead recovered. In 1993, 908,000 t of lead came from secondary smelters and refiners compared to 350,000 t originating in primary mines and smelters (39). Approximately 51,000 t of lead was consumed in U.S. production of all oxides and chemicals appHcable to all industries other than batteries. Estimates include 8000 t for plastics, 6000 t for gasoline additives, 2000 t for mbber, and 30,000 t for ceramics, glass, and electronics. Lead is not used to any extent in dispersive appHcations such as coatings. 

The uniqueness of methyl methacrylate as a plastic component accounts for its industrial use in this capacity, and it far exceeds the combined volume of all of the other methacrylates. In addition to plastics, the various methacrylate polymers also find appHcation in sizable markets as diverse as lubricating oil additives, surface coatings (qv), impregnates, adhesives (qv), binders, sealers (see Sealants), and floor poHshes. It is impossible to segregate the total methacrylate polymer market because many of the polymers produced are copolymers with acrylates and other monomers. The total 1991 production capacity of methyl methacrylate in the United States was estimated at 585,000 t/yr. The worldwide production in 1991 was estimated at about 1,785,000 t/yr (3). 

Formaldehyde. Worldwide, the largest amount of formaldehyde (qv) is consumed in the production of urea—formaldehyde resins, the primary end use of which is found in building products such as plywood and particle board (see Amino resins and plastics). The demand for these resins, and consequently methanol, is greatly influenced by housing demand. In the United States, the greatest market share for formaldehyde is again in the constmction industry. However, a fast-growing market for formaldehyde can be found in the production of acetylenic chemicals, which is driven by the demand for 1,4-butanediol and its subsequent downstream product, spandex fibers (see Fibers, elastomeric). 

High density polyethylene (HDPE) is defined by ASTM D1248-84 as a product of ethylene polymerisation with a density of 0.940 g/cm or higher. This range includes both homopolymers of ethylene and its copolymers with small amounts of a-olefins. The first commercial processes for HDPE manufacture were developed in the early 1950s and utilised a variety of transition-metal polymerisation catalysts based on molybdenum (1), chromium (2,3), and titanium (4). Commercial production of HDPE was started in 1956 in the United States by Phillips Petroleum Company and in Europe by Hoechst (5). HDPE is one of the largest volume commodity plastics produced in the world, with a worldwide capacity in 1994 of over 14 x 10 t/yr and a 32% share of the total polyethylene production. 

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