Plastic Soup
At our October meeting we welcomed Tammi Bird, the Head of the Chemistry Department at John Taylor School, to talk on the subject of 'Plastic Soup'. This is a very topical WI subject, so proved to be very informative.
The first plastic was produced in 1869, made from cellulose and camphor and intended to mimic ivory. In 1907 Bakelite was the first plastic made from synthetic components. It was revolutionary for its electrical nonconductivity and heat resistant properties. Nylon was the first commercially successful synthetic thermoplastic polymer. It was first used commercially in a toothbrush, followed by women's stockings. During WW11, almost all nylon production was diverted to the military for use in parachutes and parachute cord.
Tammi then gave us a demonstration of an experiment where nylon is produced. Two chemicals were mixed in a beaker and at the interface she was able to use a glass rod to draw up a strand of nylon.
There are many different types of plastic, from the type used to make detergent and shampoo bottles, packaging and window frames to furniture, toys and luggage and food trays. They all have different recycling requirements which has become a minefield of confusion to the householder.
Microplastics are items of plastic that are less than 5mm. The microbeads, once used in facial scrubs and now banned under EU law, are one type. Microplastic fibres are small plastic fragments that are shed from synthetic clothes when laundered and end up in the sea and the wider environment. The tiny fibres are ingested by aquatic life causing damage to their stomachs and eventually causing death.
All long chain molecules or polymers, natural or synthetic, look similar under the microscope. However, only natural polymers like wool, cotton, paper, hemp and jute can be broken down. Synthetic polymers like acrylic cannot be broken down by the same enzymes. This means we have to employ waste management schemes and efficient recycling.
The amount of plastic accumulating in our oceans is huge, we have 150 million tonnes of plastic in our oceans already. We need to use more natural fibres such as bamboo yarn and bamboo toothbrushes. There are fibre catching balls that we can use in our laundry, albeit a little difficult to obtain at the moment. Biodegradable bags and recycling of plastic products will always help. Most of us reuse our bags and avoid over packaged items. Most of all we need to educate others to be more aware of the plastic problem.
Tammi certainly presented a passionate view of how we can all help raise awareness of this problem.
Our next meeting is on Wednesday 14th November when we will have Paul Goodman talking on Fire Safety in the Home. We meet in Yoxall Parish Hall at 7.30pm and visitors are very welcome. For further details please contact Penny Bailey through the link below.