How is plastic made ?

Most plastics are made from petroleum, a fossil fuel that is formed from the remains of tiny plants and animals that lived millions of years ago. These organisms, called plankton, died and settled on the bottom of the ocean, where they were buried by sediment and eventually turned into oil and gas deposits over millions of years.

To turn oil into plastic, several steps are required. The first step is to extract the crude oil from the ground using drilling and pumping methods. The crude oil is then transported to a refinery, where it is processed to remove impurities and separate it into different types of hydrocarbons.

The next step is to convert the hydrocarbons into monomers, which are small molecules that can be joined together to form polymers. Polymers are long chains of monomers that make up plastic. This process is called polymerization, and it can be done using different methods, such as heat, pressure, or catalysts.

After the polymers are formed, they can be processed further to create different types of plastic products, such as bottles, bags, and containers. The specific properties of the plastic, such as its strength, flexibility, and durability, can be adjusted by adding different chemicals and additives during the manufacturing process.

While plastics have many useful properties and applications, they also have negative environmental impacts due to their long-lasting nature and difficulty to biodegrade. It is important to recycle and properly dispose of plastic waste to reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the environment.