use plastics save environment

USE PLASTICS – SAVE ENVIRONMENT
Mrs.G.D.SHAH (M.E. POLYMER TECH.)
I/C HEAD OF PLASTICS ENGG.DEPT.
GOVT. POLYTECHNIC, AHMEDABAD
GUJARAT, INDIA.

Today the mother earth is facing many environmental problems like;

1. Global warming/ Green house effect
2. Thinning of the Ozone layer.
3. Air pollution
4. Water pollution
5. Land pollution
6. Noise pollution
7. Scarcity of fuel
8. Scarcity of minerals
9. Scarcity of electricity
10. Scarcity of drinking water
11. Scarcity of conventional energy source
12. Eradication of wild life

Being the esteemed children of our mother earth it is our moral duty to save our mother form this problems and thereby saving her form the subsequent problems of:

1. Flood
2. Famine
3. Earth quake
4. Tsunami

To overcome such environmental problems we can think of Plastics as the non conventional material over the conventional material like:

1. Wood
2. Asbestos
3. Cotton
4. Paper
5. Iron
6. Aluminum
7. Leather
8. Silk
9. Elephant tusk
10. Pearl
11. Natural stones
12. Marbles


The non conventional energy and material sources are considered as an option of the conventional energy and mineral resources. If plastics are considered as an option for the conventional materials like wood, metal, marble leather, silk, cotton, jute etc. it will not only save our resources but will also save energy and our environment by the way of saving our forests, water, minerals and wild life.
SAVE FORESTS/TREES:
Global warming/ Green house effect, Thinning of the Ozone layer and Air pollution is caused due to the continuous reduction of the forest area and cutting the existing trees. To save our environment we observe WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, WORLD FOREST DAY and VAN MAHOTSAV. On these occasions at least one should think of the causes of reduction of trees.
The wood is being consumed mainly by:

1. Building and construction Industry;
2. Ship building,
3. Rail tracks,
4. Furniture Industry,
5. Paper Industry,
6. Packaging,
7. Household items and
8. Toys

In a residential premises of @100sq.m. Approximately wood from one tree is consumed for the doors, windows etc. If we consider form work, furniture, and other ancillary items from wood, approximately wood from five trees is likely to be consumed. Thus if we replace wood with plastics, even for 1, 00,000 of residential premise of 100 sq.m. We can save 5, 00,000 trees. If such adoption of plastics takes place only in building industry, millions of trees can be saved. In India @ 55% of agricultural land is reserved for the plantation of timber wood. If the use of wood in building construction is reduced, this land can be availed for the plantation of grains, vegetables, fruits etc. thus we can resolve our food scarcity problems to some extent. Plastic building products have several distinct advantages over traditional exterior building materials. One advantage to the consumer is that plastic building materials typically require less maintenance than other traditional materials. Unlike wood, plastics do not swell with moisture absorption, do not need to be repainted, and do not succumb to rotting or insect infestation. Compared to metal, plastics will not dent or rust, scratches can be buffed out and finished parts never have to be repainted. For wood in packaging an estimate indicates that if only 2% of the wooden boxes are replaced by plastic @ 1,200 ha of forests involving 1, 10,000 trees can be saved. Paper industry also utilizes major wood form the forests. Also it creates much of water pollution. If artificial cotton fibers are manufactured form plastics we can utilize this agricultural land for growing food products. The use of asbestos causes the health problem. The asbestos workers have developed statistically high incidences of mesothelioma and lung cancer, it is essential that appropriate precautions be implemented when processing the material.

SAVE WATER:
Water is our major natural resource. Rain is the main source of water on earth. Out of total rain some part is evaporated in environment, some part is absorbed in land and the major part is drained in sea. Hence we face scarcity of water in many areas. Out of 70% of water on earth, only 23% can be used as drinking water. Out of this 23%, 84% is utilized in agriculture/irrigation. If we use drip irrigation system, mulch film technique, plastics films in green house, plastics nets in horticulture, heavy duty flexible membrane lines for canal lining to prevent water seepage, etc. will help saving in water and increase the productivity of crops by the way of reduction of weed growth, direct supply of fertilizers to the roots of plant, less evaporation of water. Water is also consumed in building and construction for curing the RCC structures and other miscellaneous needs. This can be reduced by covering the building by plastics film to reduce evaporation of water. It will be also helpful by the reduction in frequency of watering the building. The uniformity and consistency of curing can also be observed.


SAVE ENERGY:
The conventional resources of energy like electricity, petrol, diesel, kerosene, coal, natural gas, etc. are likely to be exhausted in coming 50 years. Hence it would be our moral duty to save these resources. Using plastics parts in automotive applications can reduce the total fuel consumption of the entire automobile vehicle range. The use of plastics parts will reduce the total weight of the automobile body without much reduction in the strength. It is estimated that 100 kg of plastics will replace 200-300 kgs of conventional materials in a typical car. This results in a 750 litres fuel consumption saving over a life span of 150,000 km.
The electric insulating property of the plastics will be useful in saving the electricity consumption in various home appliances like: Air conditioners, Refrigerators, Wire insulation, Doors and window panels, Walls and ceiling, Ovens, Cooking range etc. The light weight of plastics part will reduce the consumption of electricity in running the huge machineries. The insulated electric circuits will reduce the loss of electricity in leakage.
Also the thermal insulating property of the plastics justifies their use in various kitchen wares to save the heat energy.


SAVE WILD LIFE:
As per one survey there must be forests on @ 33% of total land so as to maintain the environmental balance. In India only 19.4 % of land is covered by the forests. This has resulted in reduction of the wild life. We observe WILD ANIMAL WEEK, WILD ANIMAL DAY FOR the rescue of the wild life. Hence we can think for an alternative material for saving the wild life.
1. People use elephant tusk in manufacturing various ornamental and decorative articles. For this they kill elephants. Instead if we use plastics for this purpose we can save elephants and also the ornaments and decorative items can be availed to the people at low cost.
2. We use the skin of lions, tigers, zebra, cobra, etc. for our satisfaction and thrive for fashion. The appearance and feel of the skin of lion, tiger, zebra, cobra, etc. can be obtained from plastics by applying certain processing techniques and adjusting the material recipes.
3. Wool from goat, sheep, yak, rabbit, wolf, bear, etc. is obtained for the special feel of fur. This can be achieved by using corresponding plastics fibers.
4. To manufacture a single sari from silk millions of silk worms are killed. Instead if we use the artificial silk form the corresponding plastics we can use the natural silk in various engineering applications.
5. We use leather in various applications like leather over coats, jackets, purses, wallets, foot wears, luggage, and recreational items. This has caused danger on the wild life. If we use artificial leather made from plastics, it will save the wild life and the cost of this products will also be reduced.
6. Pearl and natural stones are used in making ornaments and garments. For this we surf the sea water. This in turn imposes danger on the sea life. If we use plastics to manufacture the artificial pearl and stones we do not have to compromise with the appearance and feel. On the contrary we can get variety in colors and shape. Also the ease of fabrication and reproducibility are the added advantage.

SAVE MINERALS:

Many phases of human civilization are described by minerals right from the Stone Age to the Atomic age. The use of minerals is made in a small pin to a huge machine and space craft. We obtain mineral by mining deep in to earth. The mining has caused the air, water, land and noise pollution. Over and above since the mineral are extracted from various layers of land, vacuum has been created between the upper layer of the land and the deeper most layer of the land. This in turn may be one of the causes of the natural disasters like earth quakes, floods, Tsunami, etc. Also this extraction of minerals has caused its scarcity too. Hence one has to think for the alternative non conventional material. Plastics can replace steel, aluminum, glass, marble etc. with the comparable strength at lower cost of manufacturing and maintenance.



SUMMARY:

Plastic is the material of the 21st century. It offers unlimited possibilities. We can do anything with plastic. The entire world could be made of plastic. There is even heart implants made of plastic: we are actually walking around with a piece of plastic inside us. It is remarkable how much in our environment is made of this material without our even noticing it. And it is amazing that there are still so many people who are skeptical towards plastic even though they use it every day. It is suggested that the environmentalists should focus on the diminishing natural resources and should put their efforts in saving these scarce natural resources.