How many types of plastic are there |
Posted: October 21, 2020 |
How Many Types of Plastic are there? Which can be recycled? There are seven types of plastic. Generally, only two of those are recycled. More on the reasons for the lack of recycling later. The seven types of plastic are:
So there you have it only two types of plastic are recycled. You may ask why? The reason is twofold, firstly the two kinds of plastic have the ideal chemical compound to be recycled and made into a plastic that can then be used again. To understand that you need to be aware of polymers. PETE and HDPE have a long chemical chain and so when it is processed those chains are broken down, but a new plastic can then be produced from the output, although the plastic is less dense. Recycled plastics are generally only recycled once. But what is stopping all the other plastics being recycled? Here you need to understand what is meant by recycling. People have come to use the term recycle when a product is produced that has the same, or similar, properties as the original product. So to be a recycled product, plastic must come from plastic. The process for producing plastic from plastic is called mechanical recycling. Mechanical recycling uses a pressure process to squeeze the original plastic to make it pliable and able to be formed into the desired shape. The mechanical recycling produces a significant profit. But what happens to all the plastic that is not recycled? That waste ends up in landfill sites, the ocean or being incinerated. Is there a better way? Yes, there is. It is possible for Plastic waste to be chemically recycled, or as some people would prefer chemically reformed. This process replicates the way the plastic was formed in the first place and returns it to its original chemical components, namely, oil and gas. But is this safe? The answer is yes. Recently there have been several breakthroughs using this technology, called Pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is not new; it has been used for centuries. Pyrolysis is a way of heating products to a high temperature in an oxygen-free environment. Once the plastics are heated, they produce a gas, which is then processed to make different types of oil.
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