15.6.4

Problems With Polymers

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Problems With Polymers

Polymers can cause many wastage problems because they do not biodegrade (break down naturally).

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Landfill sites

  • When plastics are added to a landfill site, the land becomes polluted.
  • We have to make new sites to bury plastics all the time.
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Combustion

  • When we combust (burn) plastics to generate energy, many toxic and acidic gases are released into our atmosphere.
    • For example, carbon dioxide is produced, which contributes to global warming.
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Difficulty recycling

  • Plastics can be difficult to recycle. There are many types of plastic and, before they can be recycled, they must be sorted in to their different types.
  • Once they are sorted, they can be melted down and reshaped.
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Expensive

  • All of these processes can be costly.
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Biopolyesters

  • There is a specific type of polymer called a biopolyester that is biodegradable.
  • The polymers are produced using amide, ester and their functional groups, which allows them to biodegrade.

Jump to other topics

1States of Matter

2Elements, Compounds & Mixtures

3Atomic Structure

4The Periodic Table

5Chemical Formulae, Equations & Calculations

6Bonding

7Electrolysis

8Groups of the Periodic Table

9The Atmosphere

10Reactivity Series

11Metal Extraction

12Acids & Alkalis

13Chemical Tests

14Physical Chemistry

15Organic Chemistry

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