A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs. Monomers of plastic are either natural or synthetic organic compounds.
The word plastic is derived from the Greek πλαστικός (plastikos) meaning capable of being shaped or molded, from πλαστός(plastos) meaning molded.[1][2] It refers to their malleability, or plasticity during manufacture, that allows them to be cast,pressed, or extruded into a variety of shapes—such as films, fibers, plates, tubes, bottles, boxes, and much more.
The common word plastic should not be confused with the technical adjective plastic, which is applied to any material which undergoes a permanent change of shape (plastic deformation) when strained beyond a certain point. Aluminum which is stamped or forged, for instance, exhibits plasticity in this sense, but is not plastic in the common sense; in contrast, in their finished forms, some plastics will break before deforming and therefore are not plastic in the technical sense.
There are two types of plastics: thermoplastics and thermosetting polymers. Thermoplastics are the plastics that do not undergo chemical change in their composition when heated and can be moulded again and again; examples are polyethylene,polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).[3] Thermosets can melt and take shape once; after they have solidified, they stay solid.
The Essay on Plastic Recycling
Due to increased the high residence time in the environment, old and used plastics require recycling to not only ensure clean and healthy environment, but also maximize the resource utility. Sorting/ separation is one of the most important stage in the recycling process as it differentiates the plastics from other materials and categorize it into various forms. Depending on the origin of the ...
The raw materials needed to make most plastics come from petroleum and natural gas.[4
