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Chinese solar panels don’t help with plastics or industrial lubricants.
by kasey_junk 7mo ago
Chinese solar panels don’t help with plastics or industrial lubricants.
- kccqzy 7mo agoThe amount of oil used for plastics or lubricants is insignificant compared to the use of oil as energy. In the United States, lubricants use ~0.5% of all oil, and all industrial feedstock about 1%. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
- gerdesj 7mo agoInsignificant is its own minima (its an absolute) and doesn't need qualification. You're not from these parts, are you?
- deleted 7mo ago[deleted]
- throwawaysleep 7mo agoAbout 80% of oil is burned in some way for fuel.
- gerdesj 7mo agoWhat on earth does that mean?
- kccqzy 7mo agoIt means the oil is being used for its heat content when combusted. Such heat may be used directly or be converted to mechanical work in a heat engine.
- dboreham 7mo agoExactly what it says? 80% of the oil extracted from the ground is burned. The other 20% is used to make things.
- throwawaysleep 7mo agoWe burn 80% of the oil we take out of the ground. Oil production could drop 80% and we would not have to change anything other than demand for burning it.
- wcoenen 7mo agoThere is not going to be any shortage of plastics in the medium term. Shale oil and gas production in the US produces vast quantities of ethane as a byproduct. This ethane is cracked into ethylene, a feedstock for making plastic. There is an oversupply of the stuff.
- vel0city 7mo agoThe overabundance is a big part of why it's just not commercially viable to do much with recycled plastic. Places will practically give away the virgin material because they have to find someplace for it to go to keep producing other things.