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5 pages/≈1375 words
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Style:
APA
Subject:
Social Sciences
Type:
Coursework
Language:
English (U.S.)
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Topic:

Plastics Pollution: Molecular Weight Elements

Coursework Instructions:

Watch/read the following and type your answers in a Word document (or any other word processing software that you are comfortable using). After you are done, log onto carmen osu edu and up- load your Word document (or PDF file) with your answers to the Carmen dropbox. The dropbox will close exactly at the deadline and if you miss the deadline then you will not be able to complete this as- signment and you will earn a 0%. Do not wait until the last minute to upload your answers to dropbox because if something goes wrong with your Internet connection and you miss the deadline, then you are out of luck. We do not accept assignments by Email and we do not accept late assignments. One word of caution. As with most classes offered at OSU, we use TurnItIn software to check for plagiarism against previously published articles and books and against student papers from universi- ties all over the world. So it is in your best interest to make sure that you assignment is your own. We really do want to hear from you and your thoughts and ideas on the various topics below. You will no doubt offer exciting insight and novel solutions to these issues and it is important for your success in our class that you use your own ideas and talents to complete this assignment. When you answer these questions we are looking for you to provide substantial insight and knowledge of the subject matter. As such, your answers will likely require between 250-500 words for each question listed below. For com- parison, this paragraph that you are currently reading contains approximately 300 words.

  1. (6 points) Plastic pollution is a result of human activities and as a result can have a negative im- pact on the environment. The main problem with plastic is that it is not biodegradable and pro- longs its effects for thousands of years on earth. Chemical structures of plastics explain these characteristics. Read the following article by American Chemistry Council to answer the following questions. (You only need to read from “The Basic of Plastic Manufacturing” to “Structure of Polymer”.)

A)     What is plastic? What are “polymers”?

B)     Which elements are plastics made of?

C)     How are natural gas, oil, and coal involved in producing plastics? How might the remain- ing supplies of these resources affect our ability to continue to produce plastics in he future?

  1. (6-points) Using the handout from ACC answer the following questions. Find three household items made of plastics with three different resin codes. Preferably, one from food containers, one from personal care or toi- letry item and one of your choice.
    1. What is a resin code?
      1. Provide the three resin codes from the items and the item name. Based on the ACC handout, describe the following: 1) defining characteristics of these resin codes 2) types of products in which these plastic types are used, 3) what makes them suitable for these products.
      2. Imagine you throw away these products into a garbage bin and you track them until they reach their “final destinations.” List possible places that each product may end up and what impact this may have on the environment. Please provide a different an- swer for each product and any sources you used to find this destination information.
  1. (6-points) Find a reliable source on microplastics and watch the additional video (https://www.y- outube.com/watch?v=Yu5Dw6rwZvE) to answer the following questions. Cite the source in part A.

A)     What are microplastics? Give two examples of household items that may contain or cre- ate microplastics.

B)     Do you think that plastic can reach to our bodies? How?

C)     Susan Frenikel, the author of “Plastic: A Toxic Love Story”, described microplastics in the oceans as “sponges” that absorb toxic chemicals from everywhere they pass through. Read this article on a couple of major chemicals that come from plastics. Describe 3 chemicals that can be carried by microplastics (please cite your sources) and for each of them, briefly explain one negative consequence to hu- man bodies.

  1. (7-points) Impacts of plastic on humans and the environment are numerous. Locate one other ma- jor problem caused by plastics to human, wildlife, or environmental health and answer the fol- lowing questions. Why do you choose this impact? How prevalent is this problem in global scale? Which countries or regions are most affected? Are there organizations or activists helping to reduce the problem? How are they helping with the issue? As ordinary citizen, can you help prevent/reduce the impact? How can you do it?
Coursework Sample Content Preview:
Plastics Pollution Name of Student Institution Plastics Pollution 1 (A)Plastics are substances that are composed of varied elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, sulphur, nitrogen, and chlorine. The materials are characterized by a molecular weight of a significantly high degree due to the myriad atoms available in the composition. Synthetic plastics are produced with a close mimicry of the natural high molecular weight elements such as rosin, horn, and wood. Polymers are the kind of plastics that are formed through a long-chain linking of small cell units in the form of monomers to result in a complex plastic compound. Polymerization is the involving the chemical bonding of carbon atoms forming monomers, that, in turn, result in polymer formation. (B)Plastics constitute elements such as carbon, hydrogen, sulphur, and sometimes silicon that combine in particular proportions to result in plastics. A large portion of plastics consists of thermoplastics which is around 92%. (C)Oil, natural gas, and coal (carbon) are the building blocks of plastics. The process through which raw materials are acquired involves the isolation of chemicals of hydrocarbon embedded in natural gas, coal, and petroleum culminating in pure chemical streams. Some chemicals under a process called “cracking” where a particular catalyst which alters the pace of the reaction. Monomers emerge from the raw materials through the conversion process that occurs under extreme pressure and temperature. The monomers so produced could be propylene, ethylene, and butane among others. Benzene and xylene obtained from petroleum are further subjected to a reaction with other monomers which lead to the formation of monomers for the manufacture of polyester, polystyrene, and nylon. The monomerization of petroleum products gets rid of the petroleum fractions in the process. Petroleum and oil supply are limited thus the future of plastic production is at stake. The production process would be expensive since the demand for the raw materials will skyrocket and more alternatives would have to be sought ("How much oil is used to make plastic? - FAQ - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)", 2019). The recycling and reuse of plastic products would be the most immediate mitigation measure to avert the looming plastic production crisis. 2. (A) A “Resin Code” is the symbol system that is deployed internationally when placed on products made from plastic with a view to identifying the kind of resin the respective product is obtained, commonly shortened to RIC (ACCA, 2019). (B) Some of the resin codes present in the ACC handout are PET, HDPE, and PVC that represent polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride and the items found bearing them are Coca-Cola bottle, milk bottle, and the plastic bags respectively (ACCA, 2019). Defining Resin Code Characteristics 1 -PET or PETE is containing the Arabic numeral located at the heart of three recycling symbols. The resin codes portray clear, gas/moisture proof, and tough traits. -HPDE code has Arabic numeral “2” placed at the centre of three symbols representing the recycling activity and the code underpins products that have efficient barrier attributes, stiff, and translucent unless pigmented (ACCA, ...
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