2011 petrochemical plastic industry development trend forecast

Petrochemical plastics are produced from petroleum, but crops used for bio-based plastics also occupy land resources. The soil degradation caused by crop cultivation will consume natural resources, and large amounts of water, even herbicides, insecticides, etc. will be used in the process of crop production. The manufacture, use, and disposal of each product will have a certain impact on the environment because raw materials and energy are used in the manufacturing process, and waste gas, wastewater, and solid waste are generated. These are the factors that need scientific considerations in product life cycle research.

After the post-processing in the final stage of the product life cycle, it is generally believed that traditional plastics are not easy to degrade, and bioplastics or papers can be composted or naturally degraded in the air, which may not be in line with our imagination. After traditional plastics are piled up, their degradation is very slow. However, when we bury biodegradable bio-based plastics in the landfill, we cannot yet know what will happen. Various degradable plastics have different degradation conditions, some need light, some require a certain humidity or temperature or oxygen, and others require the above two or more conditions, and such conditions actually also limit the convenience of processing. Sex, at least not necessarily with the public garbage piled up degradation. Emissions from degradation of products such as paper and degradable plastics may include methane, carbon dioxide, or more complex chemicals, which also increase the negative impact on the environment.

Perhaps we do not have to face the problem of landfilling. Paper and traditional plastics can be recycled. Bio-based plastics are also theoretically recoverable, but there are not enough products on the market to test the feasibility of recycling. If pla and other plastics are mixed and recovered, the performance of traditional plastic materials will be reduced in many cases. For example, mixing pla bottles with pet bottles will affect the performance of pet recycled materials.

The "feeling" of bio-based plastics is far more attractive than that of petrochemical-based plastics. The "degradable" concept of various packaging has also become the darling of green, environmental protection and circular economy. Although the total amount of oil and natural gas used in the production of various polymers is less than 3% of the total consumption of the society, people are still looking forward to seeing the emergence of more plant-based alternative raw materials products due to the unpredictable expectations of global oil reserves. . Indeed, with the ever-increasing bio-based resources, we can reduce the dependence on petrochemical resources to some extent. But from an environmental perspective, bio-based plastics really have less impact than petrochemicals?

The assessment of the sustainability of products and the impact on the environment from the entire product life cycle analysis (lca) has been recognized by a growing number of people. Lca factors related to the entire life cycle of the product, including the raw materials used in the product, the energy and resources consumed in processing and manufacturing, the effects in use and the environmental impact, the treatment after use, and the final residue and its impact on the environment, etc. Consider the impact of a product on the environment.