Resource-o-Rama
Review
Before plastics evolved from petrochemicals, most things we used
were made from natural materials. Then we learned how to make many
of those materials stronger and more durable. Eventually, we learned
how to make new substances, synthetics.
Forest products and products naturally derived from them include:
Things made from wood: lumber to build barrels, bats, boats,
bowling pins, boxes, cabinets, caskets, crates, doors, fences, flooring
and furniture; particle board, plywood used in airplanes, boats,
paneling, roof decking and siding; round timbers used for bridges,
fence posts, utility poles and pilings; veneer products used in
matches, baskets, tongue depressors, boxes and cabinets.
Things made from wood fiber: hardboard for cabinets, paneling,
signs, siding, auto interiors, garage doors and furniture; insulation
board for ceiling tile and sheathing; paper and paperboard for bags,
books, cartons, newspapers, packaging and tissue; cork for bulletin
boards and bottle stoppers; kapok used as filler for sleeping bags
and jackets.
Other products derived from forests: cellulose used to make
piano keys, tool handles, ping pong balls, combs, dentures, paint;
bark used for adhesives, cork for bulletin boards and bottle stoppers,
dyes, fuel, aoil mulch, tannic acid; fruits and seeds including
beechnuts, black walnuts, blueberries, cranberries, hickory nuts,
kapok used as filler for sleeping bags and jackets, pecans, pine
nuts; gun used for pine oil, rosin, turpentine; learves used in
holly, household cleaners, perfumes, pharmaceuticals, soaps and
wreaths; sap used for maple sugar and maple syrup; latex for balloons,
hoses, rubber gloves, tires; evergreen and eucalyptus used in perfume
oils, cleaners, soaps and pharmaceuticals. Other products include
acetate, cellophane, ceramics, detergent additives, lacquers, tire
cords; lignin used in animal feed, artificial vanilla, ceramics,
cement, dyes and inks; linoleum, lubricants, rosin, varnish and
turpentine; candles, printer ink, cellophane tape, photographic
film.
Cotton and wood can also be used to produce resins used to make
plastics.
Early plastics (1870-1909) included celluloid made from
cellulose found in cotton: combs, dentures, photographic film, ping
pong balls; ; and Bakelite used in telephones and pot handles.
Petrochemicals are the chief source of chemicals for the products
of synthetic plastics.
Many petrochemical products are made from plastics.
Plastic is made from synthetic resins. These resins are made primarily
from petroleum, but some come from other natural resources including
coal, natural gas, cotton, and wood. Chemical manufacturers produce
and sell resins to companies that make plastic products:
Petrochemical products have evolved over the years and include:
Polyesters in the 1930s and '40s produced acrylics, nylon
polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene for dishes,
squeeze bottles, plastic bags, artificial flowers; silicones for
lubricants, electric insulation and body implants; epoxy resins
for strong adhesives; polyesters used for boat hulls and, in 1953,
the first mass-produced automobile witrh a plastic body -- the Corvette.
Other products include plastic magnetic tapes, baby bottles,
carpeting, flooring, imitation leather, microwave cookware, computer
housing, compact discs, heat-resistant polyurethane foam covering
the external fuel tanks of the space shuttle, conductive plastics
used in batteries and wiring, stain-resistent fabrics, airplane
windows, clock/radio housing, raincoats, circuit boards, steering
wheels, pipes and fencing, plastic coated playing cards, gears,
dolls, yogurt containers, aspirin, detergents, toothpaste, fertilizers
and insecticides, cosmetics, auto hoods, fenders, electrical switches,
handles for cooking utensils, furniture cushions, shower bases.
Source: World Book Encyclopedia, 1999 Edition.
|
[
