Belgian chemist and clever marketeer
Although mostly for economic and practical reasons, plastic, which is currently overwhelming us, was originally created as a solution to maintain the availability of natural resources on earth.
A brief history of plastics. 2Leo Hendrik Baekeland seems to have been the first person to use the term “plastic materials” to describe products made from macromolecules (resins, elastomers and artificial fibers). That was in 1909. Two years earlier, he had invented the first synthetic plastic: bakelite.
Baekeland combined formaldehyde with phenol, a waste product of coal, and subjected the mixture to heat. Rather than a shellac-like material, he inadvertently created a polymer that was unique in that it didn't melt under heat and stress.
Plastic began to be mass-produced after the Second World War and then again during the 1960's and 1970's when consumers craved plastics to replace traditional materials because they are cheap, versatile, sanitary, and easy to manufacture into a variety of forms.
1900 - 1929 - Early Synthetics, Casein, Bakelite, Ureas
1909 - Casein plastics, derived from milk, developed by Erinoid.
In 1907 Leo Baekeland invented Bakelite, the first fully synthetic plastic, meaning it contained no molecules found in nature. Baekeland had been searching for a synthetic substitute for shellac, a natural electrical insulator, to meet the needs of the rapidly electrifying United States.
Plastic's devastating effect on marine mammals was first observed in the late 1970s, when scientists from the National Marine Mammal Laboratory concluded that plastic entanglement was killing up to 40,000 seals a year. Annually, this amounted to a four to six percent drop in seal population beginning in 1976.
There's no denying that plastic is a major problem for the planet. In 30 years, researchers estimate (pdf) that our oceans will contain more plastic by volume than fish. In 1964, we produced 15 million tons of it. That grew to to 311 million tons in 2014, and that's expected to double in the next two decades.
Without plastic, you also wouldn't be able to use electricity, there would be no plastic circuits to build your phone or computer. There would be no inexpensive adapters either. We also wouldn't be able to protect wildlife like rhinos from becoming extinct, nor would we be able to keep ourselves safe.
Share: It was in 1862 that Alexander Parkes introduced the world's first-ever man-made plastic, at the London International Exhibition. “Parkesine,” as it was called, was marketed as an alternative to ivory and horn that Parks discovered while trying to develop a synthetic substitute for shellac for waterproofing.
A History of Plastic Recycling: Recycling to the Rescue
The first plastic waste recycling mill was created in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania in 1972, becoming the blueprint for all future recycling plants.
Greenpeace report finds most plastic goes to landfills as production ramps up : NPR. Greenpeace report finds most plastic goes to landfills as production ramps up A new report from Greenpeace found that people may be putting plastic into recycling bins — but almost none of it is actually being recycled.
Before the invention of plastic, the only substances that could be molded were clays (pottery) and glass. Hardened clay and glass were used for storage, but they were heavy and brittle. Some natural substances, like tree gums and rubber, were sticky and moldable.
Because plastic lasts for so long, every single piece of plastic ever made still exists, and will continue existing for at least 500 years. To put that in context, if Leonardo da Vinci had drunk water from a plastic bottle when he was painting the Mona Lisa, that bottle would not have fully decomposed yet.
The English word "plastic" or "plastics" originated from the Greek word "plastikos," which means to "grow" or "form." The word was used first as an adjective meaning "formative = plastic" (capable of being deformed without rupture), then it began to be used as a noun.
In fact, plastics impact the life of every person every day and everywhere. Without plastics, food waste would increase. Without plastics, fuel costs would increase due to the heavier vehicles. Without plastics, medical care would be very difficult if not impossible.
But the problem with plastic is that most of it isn't biodegradable. It doesn't rot, like paper or food, so instead it can hang around in the environment for hundreds of years. Each year, 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced and 40% of that is single-use - plastic we'll only use once before it's binned.
So why is plastic useful? Thermoplastics, in particular, are lightweight, easy to process, cost-effective, plentiful, resilient, durable, resistant to corrosion and moisture, low maintenance, hygienic, and recyclable.
Plastic provides an air, water and hygiene-tight barrier for perishable and easily-damaged goods. This helps prolong shelf life and reduce waste (food waste is a huge contributor to carbon emissions, so this is very important in the fight against climate change).
Not only does banning single-use plastic reduce pollution, but it also reduces demand for plastic production that's contributing to global climate change. But beyond these impacts, the bans have cultural effects.
1. China. Given that it's home to over 1.4 billion people – or over a sixth of the global population – it's only logical that China would be the biggest producer of plastic pollution in the world.
We know it today as celluloid. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was first polymerised between 1838-1872. A key breakthrough came in 1907, when Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland created Bakelite, the first real synthetic, mass-produced plastic.
Many single-use items are made of plastic. While some plastics are reusable or recyclable, packaging and thicker plastic items are not. Plastic can take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose, depending on the material's structure and environmental factors such as sunlight exposure.
1862. At the Great International Exhibition in London, the world saw the first example of man-made plastic in the form of medallions, combs and knife handles made of Parkesine. The material, invented by Alexander Parkes, was originally conceived as a substitute for ivory.