Consider This 9.1 Polymers for Fun
Choose a favorite activity—on the land, water, or in the air. Search the Web to find a company that manufactures or sells equipment for this activity. Which polymers are mentioned on the Web site? Make a table of their names, the equipment in which they are used, and any desirable properties cited as advertising points. Hint: Some polymer names start with poly, such as polyester or polypropylene. Others have trade names, such as Gore-Tex, Orlon, or Styrofoam. Still other polymers are coatings and resins and may be mentioned as epoxides or acrylics.
Consider This 9.3 Eco-friendly Plates
Do you want to eat your tofu off something other than a Styrofoam plate? Search on the Web for NatureWorks from Cargill, Sorona from DuPont, eco-dinnerware from EarthShell, or for other bio-based polymers. What do these polymers promise? Which products are now on the market? Are they biodegradable?
Consider This 9.8 Shopping for Polymers
The Macrogalleria is an intriguing Web site that contains a virtual shopping mall with stores selling items made from polymers. Visit the stores to find at least six items made of LDPE or HDPE. Make your selections from several different shops.
Consider This 9.9 Other Types of Polyethylene
In addition to LDPE and HDPE, polyethylene is manufactured as MDPE and LLDPE. Use the Web to find out about these and other types. How do the properties of these differ?
Consider This 9.12 Polypropylene, "the Tough One"
Polypropylene, one of the Big Six, is used to construct items for which toughness counts. This polymer may not be as familiar to you as polyethylene and PET, because polypropylene items sometimes do not carry a recycling symbol and are not collected curbside. Search the Web to find five items manufactured from polypropylene.
Consider This 9.24 Bottle Bill Controversies
Cartoons by Mark Wilson appear regularly in newspapers in upstate New York. In this one from June 2, 2005, what position is he taking? Explain why some grocers and bottle associations stand strongly against bottle bills, yet some consumer groups argue strongly for them. To get you started, try these sites:
Consider This 9.29 Responsible Consumerism
Unless consumers buy products made from recycled plastics, manufacturers will have little financial incentive to produce such products, and this may threaten the viability of recycling. Use the Web to find five or more products from recycled plastics, other than those mentioned in this chapter. Identify the polymer(s) used in each product.
