GROUP C TECHNOLOGY 6: Dealing with WASTE

ACTIVITY 1
1. Why is waste separated into different plastics always likely to be more valuable and more useful than waste which remains mixed?
Because the different plastics that we obtain from the waste can take more than one use and they can be more hardly or tough than the mixed waste.

2. Why are dark plastics separated from clear plastics - even though they are made from the same material?
Because their colours are opposite.

3. Have a look at home at the plastics packaging materials in the kitchen or bathroom. Look for the code number stamped on the bottom or inside of a container. Make a table showing which plastics are used for which purposes.
TYPE PET (polyethylene terephthalate) HDPE (high density polyethylene) USES Its used to packaging food and drinks Its used for packing of products of cleanliness, shampoos and you can see this type in packing of milk, juices in rubbish bags Now a days we dont use it Its hard, flexible and transparent It can contain liquids and hot food It melts easily with heat It isnt very useful for the alimentation, it has a great variety of plastics like polycarbonate, polyurethaneWe can make a kind of plastic for each specific application EXAMPLES Bottle of water Shampoo bottle, juice bottle

1 2

3 4

V (vinyl)* LDPE (low density polyethylene) PP (polypropylene) PS (polystyrene) Other (including multi-layer)

5 6 7

You can find it in bottles of water and shampoos We can find it in some bottles, in bags of one use, in the packing of yogurts, in paper film We can find it in medical packing, ketchup bottles, lids, shampoo bottles We can find it in dishes, glasses and utensils of plastic You can find it in carafesand a lot of objects more.

4. Make a careful note of where two different plastics are used in the same item e.g. for a lid and a container. Why are different types selected?
The hardness and consistency of the material.

ACTIVITY 2
1. The density of polypropene is 0.91 g/cm3. The density of polystyrene is 1.05 g/cm3. What density would a liquid need to be to make sure that the polypropene floated and the polystyrene sank?
Polypropylene less than o91 g/cm3

2. PET has a density of 1.35 g/cm3. What density would a liquid need to be if it was to separate PET from polystyrene?
Polystyrene more than 105 g/cm3

3. Ease of separation of plastics materials is now being taken into account at the design stage. What recommendations about design rules would you make? Think about densities, colour, inks and labels.
Depending on the density of plastics, it can be more difficult or easier to separate them. If they dont have colour are easier to separate.

4. Recycling makes a lot of sense, but only if demand for recycled materials matches the supply. If demand is much less than the supply, what will happen to the price paid for the recycled material. The price paid for the recycled material will increase the amount of recycled material in storage. In storages will be less amount of recycled materials the costs of the process. The cost of the process will be more expensive the profitability of the process? The profitability of the process will reduce 5. If there is a large difference between supply and demand, the amount of waste being collected will have to be reduced. What effect might this have on public opinion and on the wisdom of recycling?
People will think that recycling its a waste of time, so they wont recycle any more.

ACTIVITY 3
1. Summarize these processes in a flow diagram. Make sure that you

distinguish between the different stages, and between the usefulness of the four end-products.
FEEDSTOCK RECYCLING

Processes

Methods

Collection and sorting

PYROLYSIS Plastics waste is heated in a vacuum producing a mixture of gaseous and liquid

hydrocarbons. Treatment of the plastics waste e.g. grinding

HYDROGENATION Plastics waste is heated with hydrogen. This cracks the polymers into a liquid

hydrocarbon. GASIFICATION Plastics waste is heated in air producing a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen gases. This is used to produce new raw materials. CHEMOLYSIS Certain plastics can be chemically treated and turned back into the raw materials for making the same plastics.

Feedstock recycling into basic raw materials.

Closed-loop recycling back to the original plastics or as feedstock for new petrochemical products

2. What other factors do we need to take into account before we can know whether processes such as these are actually of benefit? Think of the costs involved.
That its used mainly for mixed plastics waste Its currently only practiced in Germany It would be expensive depending on the process Theres still much to be learnt about the potential for these technologies if they have to offer the opportunity to increase recycling in the future. It could pollute Made by: Elena Torres, Gloria Pardo, Carlota Lpez, Siwar Aala, Manuel Lupiani and Juanjo Muoz-T.