{"id":2601,"date":"2024-03-14T22:38:13","date_gmt":"2024-03-14T17:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vimalmohan.com\/?p=2601"},"modified":"2024-03-14T22:43:17","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T17:13:17","slug":"adapting-to-plastic-are-we-ready-for-the-next-evolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vimalmohan.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/14\/adapting-to-plastic-are-we-ready-for-the-next-evolution\/","title":{"rendered":"Adapting to Plastic: Are We Ready for the Next Evolution?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Who is the mother of plastic? It’s Oil. That’s no surprise or was it?
Plastic needs no introduction, we are well aware of how versatile this material has proven to be and how it\u2019s a part of our lives and our body!

Hello, It\u2019s good to be back at blogging after a while. I\u2019ve been busy setting up things for my business and it sure takes a lot of time and effort. Anyway, I was thinking about a topic, about something that’s part of our lifestyle and something that can’t be taken away and viola, plastic!

Living without Gold and Platinum is possible, but can you live without plastic?

Here is a simple flow diagram that shows how plastic is obtained from refining crude oil.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Crude oil is refined to obtain naphtha, sounds familiar? Which is then put through a process of cracking (wonder what that is) and the result is Ethylene and Propylene, The Ps and Es\u00a0 and PPs and PEs that you see printed on all things plastic!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rise of Plastic – A Brief history<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bakelite, the first commercial plastic, was used in old electrical switches and those black telephones with rotary dials. While it was wood before that, providing the much needed safety called electrical insulation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u00a0 Leo Baekeland (source <\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A light weight material, that can bend or stay rigid and which won’t rust was a big deal. Not to forget how smooth, shiny and colorful they can get. No wonder plastic proved itself a versatile alternative to metals, wood and stone.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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2000s and beyond, we are seeing the development of new technologies, such as bioplastics. Such innovations may offer hope of a more sustainable future for plastic. Nevertheless it has become invasive, both metaphorically and literally.

It\u2019s everywhere.

Fun fact: It appears more than 50 times in this story! That’s literal litter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breathing, Eating and Drinking Plastic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From soda bottles to space suits including the debris in space, plastic has become an intrinsic part of our livelihood.

Touted as a wonder material that no science could explain, even water exists in only 3 forms, liquid, solid (ice) and gas (vapor). Plastic on the other hand? foamy, bendy, stretchy, filmy, sticky and gooey?, you get the idea.

Extensive use of plastic for packaging food and water not only leads to landfill but also jeopardizes wildlife and nature that directly affects our wellbeing. Toxic chemicals from certain plastics leaching into food is an ever present risk for health<\/a>. Couple that with ignorant or irresponsible use of plastic, for example using non-food grade plastics to store food?<\/p>\n\n\n

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The following list gives me jitters, some of them despite their safety claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n