The Perils of Plastic Manufacturing
The United Nations Environment Programme reports that humanity produces 400 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, including five trillion plastic bags annually. (UNEP, 2022). Plastic is used everywhere, but how is this crucial material made? The first step in creating plastic is the extraction of raw materials, which mostly come in the form of crude oil and natural gas. Even the first step of creating plastic is bad for the environment as the extraction of these resources can disrupt ecosystems and damage the soil which causes mudslides and flash floods. Additionally, extracting these materials releases harmful toxins into the atmosphere. (Conservation Law Foundation, 2021).
The next step in creating plastic is refining the raw materials. If crude oil is being used, then the process of refining involves separating the many chemicals in the crude oil. This is done by heating the crude oil until it becomes a gas which then flows into a tower that is hotter at the bottom and colder at the top. As the gas floats up the tower, the crude oil is separated based on the molecular weight and boiling point of the chemicals in it. If the material hardens at over 350°C then it becomes asphalt, if it hardens between 220°C-250°C it becomes diesel fuel, and if it hardens between 60°C-180°C it becomes a material known as naphtha,the main ingredient in plastic. (Baheti, 2021).
Next, the naphtha goes through a process called polymerization. In this process, a class of substances known as olefin gasses, which include ethylene, propylene, and butylene, are involved. These are called monomers and when bonded together they form chains of carbon atoms called polymers. There are two types of polymerization: addition polymerization, which adds one monomer at a time, and condensation polymerization, which can combine multiple chains of carbon atoms. The polymers are then blended with other chemicals to form plastic pellets, which are used to make plastic. (Sharpe & Baheti, 2015).
In addition to oil, natural gas can also be used to produce the polymers needed to make plastic. When natural gas is used, it is fed into an ethane cracker. An ethane cracker is a facility that uses extreme heat to break the molecular bonds in natural gas, producing ethylene, which is a monomer. There are about 30 ethane industrial facilities located from the Ohio River Valley to the Gulf Coast that process the raw material into the desired monomer. These “crackers” are incredibly dangerous for the surrounding area as tiny pellets produced by these factories often get into local rivers and waterways which are then eaten by birds and fish. The factories can also spill chemicals into rivers and oceans, which is extremely dangerous to fish and wildlife. For instance, federal biologists have warned that a proposed cracker plant in Texas could threaten an endangered species of crane. Ethane factories have also released harmful air pollutants into surrounding communities. These pollutants can cause childhood leukemia, cancer, infant mortality, and brain tumors, as well as damage the climate as a whole. (The Climate Reality Project, 2018).
Plastic production starts with extracting raw materials like crude oil or natural gas, which are refined through energy-intensive processes that emit harmful pollutants. This leads to environmental damage through habitat destruction, pollution, and the long-lasting impact of plastic waste on ecosystems and wildlife. We absolutely need to develop better methods for processing raw materials or find alternatives to plastic that are less harmful to the environment.
Works Cited
Dr. Baheti, P. How is plastic made? A simple step-by-step explanation. British Plastics Federation. https://www.bpf.co.uk/plastipedia/how-is-plastic-made.aspx#[1%20NEW]
Bryce, E. (2021, January 18). How do we turn oil into plastic?. LiveScience. https://www.livescience.com/how-oil-is-turned-into-plastic.html
Conservation Law Foundation. (2021, September 8). How plastic is made is harmful to people and the environment. https://www.clf.org/blog/how-plastic-is-made/
Ethane cracker plants: What are they?. The Climate Reality Project. (2018, October 23). https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/ethane-cracker-plants-what-are-they#:~:text=Ethane%20crackers%20are%20plants%20that,plastics%20and%20other%20industrial%20products.
Sakashita, M. (n.d.). The plastic-production problem. The Plastic-Production Problem. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/plastic-production/index.html#
Sharpe, P. (2015, September). Making plastics: From monomer to polymer. AIChE. https://www.aiche.org/resources/publications/cep/2015/september/making-plastics-monomer-polymer#fig1
Visual feature: Beat plastic pollution. UNEP. (2022). https://www.unep.org/interactives/beat-plastic-pollution/
What are monomers, polymers, copolymers, and homopolymers?. What are monomers, polymers, copolymers, and homopolymers? | U.S. Plastic Corp. (2008, August 28). https://www.usplastic.com/knowledgebase/article.aspx?contentkey=510&srsltid=AfmBOop_9mzkwdSb1nvDZ4aN4hi33gK2QxV6tNIS4xxKiPAuxFFrWSlH