Lesson 7: The life cycle of a polymer

What you need to know: 1. What happens in the different sections of a life cycle assessment. 2. How a polymer can be disposed of.

Lots of the products we buy come in plastic containers, but what would be the life cycle of the plastic container? Cradle Most plastic containers are made from polythene. This is a polymer produced from ethene, which comes from crude oil. Crude oil is a mixture of different hydrocarbons. This means that we need to extract the crude oil from underground wells using oil rigs. The extraction of crude oil requires lots of energy and can also impact upon the environment in the local area. The crude oil is separated into different hydrocarbons at an oil refinery. The ethene produced at the refinery is taken to a petrochemical plant, where it is turned into polythene. The polythene is taken to a factory where it is moulded into our container. In your exam you may be asked to list some parts in a cradle section of a life cycle assessment for our polythene container. Use The polythene container is driven to a factory and filled with the product. The container is sent to the shop where we will buy the product. We use the product and throw away the container.

In your exam you may be asked to list some parts in a use section of a life cycle assessment for our polythene container.

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Grave Recycling: Recycling means that we can reuse materials, such as plastics. This means that no new natural resources need to be used and also saves energy. Unfortunately there are problems with recycling. Firstly, it costs lots of money, as the materials need to be sorted and cleaned. Secondly, every time a plastic is recycled, the molecules in the plastic can be torn and so the quality of the recycled plastic decreases. Incineration: Some materials, such as polymers, can be burnt. This means that we can use the heat produced to create electricity. The problem is that burning polymers can produce air pollution and also means that more natural resources need to be used to produce more plastic containers. Landfill: Sometimes materials just get thrown away and end up being thrown into large holes in the ground, called landfill. Sadly the materials will just stay there forever. In your exam you may be asked to list some parts in a grave section of a life cycle assessment for our polythene container. You may also be asked what can happen to materials such as a polymer when we no longer have a use for it. Recap: 1. Most plastics are produced from crude oil. Crude oil is a mixture of different hydrocarbons. 2. Plastics are made in petrochemical plants. 3. After a material has been used, it can either be recycled, incinerated or thrown into landfill.

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