Plastics and Sustainability: Towards a Deeper Understanding of the Environmental Role of Plastics in Today's World

Plastics & Sustainability clearly lays out the thorny and contentious issues that we encounter at the nexus of plastics and sustainability. The book serves as a practical guide for making sustainability decisions about how plastics are made and used, including current developments in the newest bio-based plastics. Designers, marketers, academics, and engineers will all find something of value in this balanced and thoughtful second edition. Increased public scrutiny of plastics materials and the plastics industry has led, paradoxically, to both a deeper understanding and growing confusion about polymers, their origins, their uses, their risks, and ultimately their disposal. The author makes objective comparisons among major polymer grades and bioplastics including their life cycle assessments and practical performance in commercial applications. Cover Half-Title Page Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Contents Acknowledgements Notes on the 2nd Edition Preface 1 General Introduction 1.1 The Contradictions of Plastics 1.2 Plastics and the Consumer Lifestyle 1.3 Plastics Controversies 1.3.1 PVC and Phthalate Plasticizers 1.3.2 Plastic Shopping Bags 1.3.3 Health Effects of BPA (Bisphenol-A) 1.4 The Desire to be Green 1.4.1 Consumer Interest in Sustainability 1.4.2 Sustainability: Views and Counterviews 1.5 The Course of This Book References 2 Plastic Life Cycles 2.1 Green Principles 2.2 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) 2.2.1 Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) 2.2.2 LCA: Controversies and Limitations 2.2.3 LCA/LCI: Plastics-Related Examples 2.3 Plastic Lifetimes 2.3.1 The “Cradle”: Polymer Feedstocks and Production 2.3.2 “Gate-to-Gate”: General Plastics Use-Life Impacts 2.3.3 The “Grave”: Disposal, Recycling, and Biodegradability 2.4 A Hierarchy of Plastics for Sustainability References 3 Polymer Properties and Environmental Footprints 3.1 Background on Polymers and Plastics 3.1.1 Green Chemistry Principles 3.2 Common Commodity Thermoplastics 3.2.1 Polyethylene (PE) 3.2.2 Polypropylene (PP) 3.2.3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC, or “Vinyl”) 3.2.4 Polystyrene (PS) 3.2.5 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and Related Polyesters 3.3 Traditional Engineering Thermoplastics 3.3.1 Nylon or Polyamide (PA) 3.3.2 Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) 3.3.3 Polycarbonate (PC) 3.4 Traditional Thermosets and Conventional Composites 3.4.1 Unreinforced Thermosets 3.4.2 Conventional Composites 3.5 Biopolymers: Polymers of Biological Origin 3.5.1 Polylactic Acid (PLA) 3.5.2 Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs): PHB and Related Copolymers 3.5.3 Starch-Based Polymers 3.5.4 Protein-Based Polymers 3.5.5 Algae-Based Polymers 3.5.6 Blends of Biopolymers 3.6 Additives and Fillers: Conventional and Bio-Based 3.6.1 Common Additives 3.6.2 Fillers 3.6.3 Fiber Reinforcement 3.6.4 Nanocomposites 3.7 Concluding Summary References 4 Applications: Demonstrations of Plastics Sustainability 4.1 Trends in Sustainable Plastics Applications 4.2 Sustainable Plastics Packaging 4.2.1 Plastic Bags and Containers 4.2.2 Bio-Based Plastic Packaging 4.2.3 “Greener” Foam Packaging 4.2.4 Key Points 4.3 Sustainable Plastics in Building and Construction 4.3.1 Recycled/Recyclable Construction Applications 4.3.2 Wood-Plastic Composites 4.3.3 Key Points 4.4 Automotive Plastics and Sustainability 4.4.1 Fuel-Saving Contributions of Plastics 4.4.2 Recycling and Automotive Plastics 4.4.3 Bioplastics in the Automotive Industry 4.4.4 Key Points 4.5 Specialized Applications and Plastics Sustainability 4.5.1 Electrical/Electronics Applications 4.5.2 Medical Plastics and Packaging 4.5.3 Agricultural Applications 4.6 Conclusions about Sustainable Plastics Applications 5 Design Guidelines for Sustainability 5.1 Green Design Principles 5.1.1 Minimize Material Content 5.1.2 Exploit a Material’s Full Value 5.1.3 Fulfill Durability Requirements 5.1.4 Minimize Non-Functional Features 5.1.5 Focus on Single-Material Designs 5.1.6 Incorporate Renewable Content 5.2 Consumer Preferences in Green Design References 6 Sustainable Considerations in Material Selection 6.1 Examples: Plastics vs. Metals and Glass 6.2 High Volume Plastics Applications 6.2.1 Beverage Bottles: PET vs. rPET vs. Bio-PET 6.2.2 Thermoformed and Flexible Packaging 6.2.3 Housewares and Food Service Tableware 6.3 Bio-Based Plastic Selection 6.3.1 Bio-Based Resins: PLA, PHA, TPS, PE 6.3.2 Natural Fiber Plastics Reinforcement 6.3.3 Engineering (Bio)polymers 6.4 The Selection Process: A Visual Approach References 7 Processing: Increasing Efficiency in the Use of Energy and Materials 7.1 Optimizing Resin Recycling 7.1.1 Reprocessing Scrap and Post-Industrial Material 7.1.2 Recycling Post-Consumer Plastic 7.1.3 Advanced Recycling 7.2 Optimizing Plastics Processes for Sustainability 7.2.1 Optimizing Water Use 7.2.2 Optimizing Energy Consumption 7.2.3 Choosing New Machinery for Sustainability 7.2.4 Sourcing Options for “Green” Energy References 8 Conclusion: Grey is the New Green 8.1 Trends Affecting Future Global Plastics Use 8.1.1 Consumer Needs and Market Growth 8.1.2 Fossil Fuel Availability and Price 8.1.3 Alternative Feedstock Trends 8.1.4 Industry Priorities for Sustainability 8.1.5 Plastic Bans and Controversies 8.2 Future Progress in Promoting Plastics Sustainability 8.2.1 Improved Partnerships 8.2.2 New Sustainability-Enhancing Approaches 8.2.3 New Research & Development References Index EULA "For the 2nd edition, it was most important to provide current data and references due to the number and magnitude of changes in the plastics industry since the 1st edition. Some industry publications are the same as what was used before (Plastics News, Plastics Engineering, etc.) and access to academic journals allowed for exploration into today's research. The creation and launch of new multinational consortia, e.g. Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Circular Economy, Closed Loop Partners, etc. has led to increased investment in specific technologies as well as new data and data visualization tools. These provide sharper insight into global trends than was previously available"-- Provided by publisher