Study of Use and Adverse Effects of Plastics on the Environment PDF

STUDY OF USE AND ADVERSE EFFECTS OF PLASTICS ON THE ENVIRONMENT A project work Submitted to the Department of Chemistry, St. Xavier’s College, Maitighar, in the partial fulfillment for the requirement of NEB +2...

STUDY OF USE AND ADVERSE EFFECTS OF PLASTICS ON THE ENVIRONMENT A project work Submitted to the Department of Chemistry, St. Xavier’s College, Maitighar, in the partial fulfillment for the requirement of NEB +2 science in Chemistry Submitted by: Name: Nischal K.C. Class: 11 ‘C’ Roll No:023NEB342 Submitted to: Department of Chemistry St. Xavier’s College, Maitighar Kathmandu, Nepal 2024  CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL This project entitled “STUDY OF USE AND ADVERSE EFFECTS OF PLASTICS” by Nischal K.C. under the supervision of Dinesh Paudel, is here submitted for the partial fulfillment of project work of grade 11 has been accepted. Supervisor Name: Mr. Dinesh Paudel Department of Chemistry St. Xavier’s College Kathmandu, Nepal Date: 07-01-2024 ii  ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The accomplishment of this report is possible only by the guidance and support of numerous people. I am grateful to all the helpers for this great outcome. I am obliged to the St. Xavier’s College and the Department of Chemistry for providing me with the opportunity and the platform to prepare this report. I extend my greatest gratification towards my supervisor Mr. Dinesh Paudel for his exceptional and prominent assistance. I am grateful towards my family members for supporting and helping in the findings and preparation of this report. Ultimately, I thank and appreciate my parents and respected chemistry teachers in the preparation of this report. This wouldn’t have been possible without you all. Nischal K.C. Level: +2 Roll No: 342 Date: 07-01-2024 iii  ABBREVATIONS ABS :Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene PUR : Polyurethane BPA : Bisphenol A ICIMOD :International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development ISRO :Indian Space Research Organization SDSC-SHAR :Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR SWM :Solid Waste Management iv  ABSTRACT This report provides the vital information about plastics which includes the definition itself along with its origin and properties of the plastics. It also serves the reader with a brief history and origin story of plastic from the use of natural polymer then the revelation of first man-made plastic and Bakelite to the modern plastics. Plastics can be categorized into two major types that is thermoplastics which can be molded on heated and on the other hand there is thermosetting plastics which do not melt on heating due to strong cross linkage of molecules produced by addition polymerization and poly condensation respectively. Thermoplastic being recyclable still how affects human health and environment is also included along with the continuous applications of thermosetting plastics even being toxic too. Plastics are used in several sectors from the baby products to food packaging to the health equipment to building parts of roads and even space crafts. Though plastic is the material of thousand use it has adverse effect on the environment which is due to the improper disposal of plastic wastage in land and aquatic ecosystems which disrupts the wild habitat and environment eventually creating problem to humans in near future by the illness, global warming brought by the release of harmful chemicals by the plastics; the non-biodegradable everlasting toxic polymer. Keywords: Polymer, Plasticity, Thermoplastic, Thermosets, Polymerization, Polycondensation v  TABLE OF CONTENT PAGE NNUMBER COVER PAGE i CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL ii ACKNOWLWDGEMENT iii ABBREVATIONS iv ABSTRACT v TABLE OF CONTENTS vi 1. INTRODUCTION 1-3 1.1 Definition 1 1.2 Etymology 1 1.3 Brief History of Plastic 1-2 1.4 Plastic production and types 2 1.5 Thermoplastic 2-3 1.6 Thermosets 3 1.7 Plastic production in the World and Nepal 3 2. OBJECTIVE OF STUDY 4 3. LITERATURE REVIEW 5 4. RESULT AND DISCUSSIONS 6-7 4.1 Applications of Plastics 6 4.2 Adverse effects of Plastic on Environment 7 5. CONCLUSION 8 6. SUGGECTIONS FOR RURTHER RESEARCH 9 7. REFERENCES 10 vi  CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Definition Plastics are either synthetic or semi-synthetic material using polymer as its main ingredient. “poly” means “many” hence polymers are any natural or synthetic substance made up of large number of molecules. It has the property to be molded on heating. It can undergo permanent deformation without breaking. This property is called plasticity. Plastics are durable, inexpensive, lightweight and flexible. They can be derived either from fossil fuels or from renewable materials like cotton or corn derivatives. [1,2] 1.2 Etymology The word plastic is derived from the Greek πλαστικός (plastikos) meaning "capable of being molded," and πλαστός (plastos) which means "molded." 1.3 Brief History of Plastics Before the concept of modern plastics there was the use of amber, tortoise shells and horns of animals as present use of plastics referred as “natural polymer”. Evidence is the use of animal’s horns as glass before the sixteenth century due to its ability to turn transparent and pale yellow when supplied heat. At the 1862 Great International Exhibition in London, Alexander Parkes revealed the first man-made plastic then called Parkesine, (now called celluloid) which was originated from cellulose and was claimed to replace rubber at lower price having the property of plasticity. PVC was synthesized in 1872 by German Chemist Eugen Baumann. “Bakelite” derived from coal tar which could not be melted was a new synthetic polymer by Chemist Leo Hendrik Baekland in 1907. Later in 1909, Baekland to describe the category of such polymer coined the term “plastic”. 1 Gradually, after Bakelite in 1907 being less flammable than celluloid, there came polystyrene; a spongy plastic used in insulation in 1920, then a flexible yet hard plastic called vinyl, acrylic; which mimicked glass, nylon in 1930 which mimicked silk with extra strength and polyethylene which has been used till date for making furniture, pipes, bulletproof vests, etc. They were even used in wars. Eventually, plastics was found to be easy to manufacture, use and hence became a replacement for furniture, clothes, containers and other giant heavy items which led to the rise of the plastic industry. Plastics were then marketed as “material of thousand uses”. [7,8] 1.4 Plastic Production and Types Polymerization and polycondensation are the two methods for plastic production where there is the linkage of monomers like ethylene, propylene etc. to form long chain in polymerization while there is the polymer formation from monomers eliminating simple molecules in polycondensation where the final macromolecule slightly differs from the composition of original reactant molecules. From here there are two main category of plastic thermoplastic and thermosetting or thermosets respectively. [9,10]  Thermoplastics are the linear chained monomers plastics that becomes soft and deformed when heated. Example are ABS, polycarbonate, polypropylene etc.  Thermosets are the cross-linked monomers; plastics that do not get soft on heating. Examples are epoxide, phenol-formaldehyde, PUR etc. 1.5 Thermoplastic; an eco-friendly plastic? Since thermoplastics have linear structure molecules with weak bond they can easily be melted or molded into desired shape serving in low consumption and production by recycling it. It is often used in toys, equipment, eyes wear, water bottles, LED screens, roofing etc. due to its flexibility, durability, easy to clean nature. Somehow it can be claimed to be environmentally friendly considering the fact that thermoplastics can be recycled and reused causing fewer plastic wastages. However, its improper disposal and consumption can lead to severe health and environmental hazards. 2 Researchers have found some toxic ingredients such as phthalates and Bisphenol A in the plastics used in baby bottles, sippy cups, toys, teething rings etc. which can certainly suppress hormones (e.g., estrogen, testosterone) and hinders child development. [12,13] 1.6 Why Thermosets and Why not Thermosets? Thermosets have crosslinked structured molecules with strong bond leading to high resistivity against heat and chemicals and also serving thermal stability which was not possible with thermoplastics causing thermosets to not get easily melted in hot temperature used has electric insulators, hardware, kitchen utensils etc. (e.g., Bakelite, Teflon, Melamine etc.). Therefore, for the same thermosets cannot be reused nor recycled leading to environmental problem. For example, non-sticky pans are coated with Teflon that contains a compound called C8 that disrupts hormones of human. Both types of plastics either thermoplastics or thermosetting plastics, the polymers in their composition cannot be digested by any microorganisms which is the cause for plastics to remain non-biodegradable and pollutant. [15,16] 1.7 Plastic Production and Pollution in The World and Nepal In 1950 there was 2 million tons plastic production while now it has become 450 million tons per year. Within two decades, global plastic production has been doubled. As per the survey in 2021 China tops the list of plastic producing and distributing countries, producing 32% of total plastic per year followed by North America and rest Asia with 18% and 17% respectively. As per 2023 report, India with 126.5 million kgs of plastic waste per year became the number one plastic pollutant country in the world followed by China with 70.7 million kgs of plastic waste per year. [17,18,19] According to ICIMOD report of 2022, Nepal generates approximately 2.7 tons of plastic waste on regular basis serving on environmental pollution. It is claimed the rivers of Nepal to be polluted by non- biodegradable items such as plastics which flow from Terai of Nepal to Ganges of India and then Bay of Bengal contaminating the global ocean ecology. 3  CHAPTER II OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY Specific objectives The specific objectives of this research works are as follow;  To study the uses of plastics in our daily life and industries.  To find the adverse effects of plastics on the environment.  To find the cause of harm by plastics and its measures. 4  CHAPTER III LITERATURE REVIEW Sadrabad et al., (2023) reported the applications of plastics on account of its property such as flexibility, transparency, durability, low production cost, lightweight and hence replacement of heavy materials and even its use in food packaging, medicine package and also is claimed to play crucial role in sewage management via drainage pipelines. However, the BPA, a water-soluble compound derived from the group diphenylmethane can release from polycarbonates and leach the food and beverages which gets absorbed by our body having cytotoxicity leading to tissue irritation, type 2 diabetes, obesity and so on. The highest BPA concentration in plastics has been estimated to be 12pg/mL. The report mentioned BPA limit was set as 600μg/kg by the EU commission however even low doses of BPA is considered to be harmful. Rodrigues et al., (2019) reviewed plastics as indispensable material which can be fragmented into micro and nano plastics; particles with less than 5 mm and 0.1 μm, respectively, which when mixed or get contact with additives shows toxicity giving rise to environment contamination when interact with number of living species. The report says the most toxic polymer to be used in daily life to be polyvinyl chloride with benzene, phthalates and lead stabilizers to be toxic additives. It has also been studied the plastics to release organic chemical compounds and carbon dioxide in water bringing drop in pH. 5  CHAPTER IV RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The report finalizes following results which comprises the uses and adverse effects of plastic on the environment. 4.1 Applications of Plastics  Plastics are used in packaging of food, medicines and other items. The use of plastics has reduced the packaging weight by 400% ensuring low production, energy cost and low expenditure. Hence plastics are used in packaging and transportation due to its non-biodegradability and light weight.  Developmental works can also be performed. Study has shown plastic roads to be durable increasing the life of bitumen. Mixing of additives and plastics was used in resurfacing roads at SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota, India in October 2023. CRFP, a type of plastic of combined carbon, aluminum etc. was used in the space craft of Mars Orbiter Mission (2013) by ISRO.  Polycarbonate, polypropylene etc. do not degrade for long time and are easily sterilized so used in health sectors. Methyl methacrylate, a hard transparent plastic is used for cranioplasty in plastic surgery as health equipment.  Polyester, acrylic is used in clothing brands. Nylon a silk thermoplastic is used in socks, swimwear, sari, footwears etc. Hence plastic is used in textile industries.  In the context of waste management, plastics are used in the making of hard and strong pipes. It is estimated that hard plastics can be 12% stronger than steel. Plastic pipeline is used in drainage and sewage management system. Treated woods which are considered to be hazardous can be replaced by plastic lumber; lumber made out of recycled plastics.  Plastics are great replacement of heavy corrosive materials. Iron frames get rusted while plastic frames have high resistance to heat and chemicals. Hence used in utensils, furniture, decoration and so on. 6 4.2 Adverse Effects of Plastics on Environment Whatever the applications of plastic it cannot cope with its adverse environmental pollution and interference in the biodiversity due to carelessness in its management and toxic marketing. Every day about 2,000 garbage trucks dump plastic waste in aquatic habitat hence it is estimated for 19-23 million tons of plastic waste leaks to marine and other aquatic ecosystem contaminating the water and disrupting aquatic life. Recently in the case of Florida, sea turtle is entangled in plastic bags causing it to suffocate and hatched sea turtle were found to have two balloons in their gastrointestinal tract. Plastics are non-biodegradable remaining in the environment for long which gradually releases harmful chemicals since most originates from fossil fuels chemicals giving call to global warming. Plastic waste on the landfills causes land pollution eventually the chemicals to degrade the fertility of the land and giving rise to viral illness. The journal of agriculture and environment, Nepal has reported the land degradation of Nepal to be approximately 2% by chemicals and plastics. Fig4.2.1 graph of global plastic production from 1950-2019 Fig4.2.2 annual mismanaged plastic waste With the knowledge of toxicity of plastics to the environment Government of the respected countries have formulated and implemented several plans to reduce and minimize plastic wastage and limit the plastic production. Countries like Netherland have prohibited the citizens to avoid the use of disposable plastic cups, and other plastic items that can increase to plastic waste. Similarly, Nepal SWM has been conducting sweeping program and even Bagmati river to be clean every Saturday morning which should be implemented strictly. 7  CHAPTER V CONCLUSION Plastic is a polymer which shows plasticity and are flexible, durable, lightweight, inexpensive to manufacture and non-biodegradable material which do have the toxic potential to contaminate the environment as well as health of living organisms. However, its limited production and appropriate utilization can lead to easier life since it is a material of thousand uses but the inhuman activity of humans to not care about the environment and pollute the plastic waste in the land and aquatic ecosystem has disrupted the environment and biodiversity eventually leading to the misfortune of the humans themselves. Plastic is a good servant but owner is bad. Hence it can be concluded that plastic is actually toxic but are of great use so optimal usage and handling is most essential. 8  CHAPTER VI RECOMMENDATION/ SUGGESTION To the further researcher studying the same topics as use and effects of plastics, it is recommended to first know the topic clearly before preparing the report, proper studies can be made and even online research can be done but make sure the websites and article to be authentic and legal. Plan the report and if possible small survey can also be done in small area regarding the present situation of people regarding use and disposal of plastics. Cause for harm of plastics, its structure, manufacture and cause for the non-biodegradability of plastics can be researched. Data comparison can be a great way to make a report latest and precise. 9 REFERENCES Americanchemistry.com. “Life Cycle of a Plastic Product". Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2011 American Chemical Society “Leo Hendrick Baekeland and the Invention of Bakelite.”, 1993 " Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon. Plastikos" πλαστι^κ- ός. Retrieved July 1, 2011. poly (vinyl chloride) (CHEBI:53243)". CHEBI. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2012 Macleod M.M., The global Threat from plastic pollution,2021 American Chemical Society National Historic Chemical Landmarks. "Bakelite: The World's First Synthetic Plastic". Retrieved February 23, 2015 https://plasticseurope.org/plastics-explained/history-of-plastics, 2004 Geyer R.G., A Brief History of Plastics, 2020 https://plasticseurope.org/plastics-explained/how-plastics-are-made ,2004 https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/polycondensation,2006 https://fun-play.co.uk/what-is-thermoplastic,2013 https://health.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/resources/resources_pdf/Plastics_and_Plastic _Toys_7_14.pdf, 2005 Sadrabad E.K.S., Bisphenol A release from food and beverage container,2023 https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/plastics-rubber/thermoset-vs-thermoplastics, 1996 https://byjus.com/question-answer/what-makes-plastics-non-biodegradable/ ,2013 Rodrigues M.O.R., Impact of plastic products used in daily life, 2019 https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution#,2019 https://www.statista.com/statistics/281126/global-plastics-production, 2023 https://aquablu.com/stories/environment/worlds-biggest-plastic-polluters, 2023 https://risingnepaldaily.com/news/26421, 2019 10