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Well, we'll probably find out a way to synthesize plastic out of other materials rich in hydrocarbons, like algae. It's going to be pretty expensive at first, b
by kijin 15y ago
Well, we'll probably find out a way to synthesize plastic out of other materials rich in hydrocarbons, like algae. It's going to be pretty expensive at first, but I can see biofuels occupying their own niche even in an economy that is dominated by hydrogen or some other "clean" resource.
- redwood 15y agoConsidering plastic doesn't have the CO2 emissions that oil-for-fuel does, there's no reason to use non-oil-based plastic any time soon. We can move off oil for fuel and keep using it for plastic!
- sliverstorm 15y agoWell, the biodegradability of oil-based plastic is poor, and we might find bio-based plastics with other such compelling properties.
- dkastner 15y agoWhile it's true there are more sources of plastic other than fossil fuels, the big disadvantage is the extra amount of energy and water needed. I doubt we'll be able to scale alternative plastics to match the levels produced from fossil fuels. But I do think we can get a lot of plastic from simply recycling it (maybe dig it back up from landfills). We can also reduce a lot of plastic demand by using reusable containers for things like groceries.
- _delirium 15y agoAutomated sorting tech is becoming practical in more scenarios now as well, which should improve yields on recycled plastic. Traditional human-based sorting into bins by type of plastic often produces poor-quality output that has to be "downcycled" (e.g. into park benches, not a new coke bottle), because the percentage of mis-sorted impurities is too high.
- simcop2387 15y agoActually there is at least one plastic that does fairly well cost-wise vs other plastics and is made out of typically corn in the US, PLA [1]. The main reason that it doesn't get used more is that it's properties don't make it ideal for a number of other cases where you need better impact resistance or heat resistance. A number of the plastic cups out there these days are made of the stuff. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid