Osama Hasan

Mohammad Taha
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Zainab Mazhar
Introduction
First Thermoplastic
Chemistry of Thermoplastics
Precaution
Confusion
Additives
Process
Examples of Thermo plastics
Recycle Process

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A type of plastic made from polymer resins
Becomes a homogenized liquid when heated
and hard when cooled.
When frozen, becomes glass-like and subject to
fracture.
It can be reheated, reshaped, and frozen
repeatedly.

MELT - FREEZE cycle

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The name itself means,

“Plastic when heated”

Thermoplastics can be melted and reused

without any change in materials properties, thus
can be actively recycled.
This quality also makes thermoplastics
recyclable.
 Example: PET bottles and household
containers can be recycled to make amazing
object. (coming ahead!)
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The first thermoplastic made its appearance in
the mid-1800s and reigned in the industry for
approximately 100 years.
Celluloid – nitrocellulose and camphor, plus
dyes and other agents.
Used as a substitute for ivory.
Today, it is used to make table tennis balls and
guitar picks.

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Thermoplastics are:
 High-Molecular-Weight Polymers
Chains associate through
 Weak Van der Waals forces (polyethylene)
 Stronger dipole-dipole interactions and hydrogen
bonding (nylon)
 Stacking of Aromatic Rings   (polystyrene).
Exists as
 Amorphous Plastics - PMMA, PS and PC
 Subject to stress cracking
 Semi-Crystalline Plastics - PE, PP, PBT and PET
 Chemically resistant
Before the introduction of plasticizers, plastic
automobile parts often cracked in cold 6
winter weather
 CAUTION : Avoid using Thermoplastics at
high temperatures esp. over 400 °C
Thermoplastic polymers are unlinked polymer
chains.
Their reliance is on weaker forces like dipole-
dipole interactions or Van der Waals forces
Below a certain temperature, they form a
crystalline structure
Above a certain temperature, they gradually
soften and eventually melting.

A thermosetting plastic is used in such a case7

Thermoplastics are confused with thermosetting
plastics.
May sound same, but possess very different
properties.
Thermoplastics can be melted to a liquid and
cooled to a solid.
 Thermosetting plastics chemically deteriorate
when subjected to heat.
 Tend to be more durable when allowed to cool
than many thermoplastics.

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Thermoplastics also differ from elastomers
Many thermoplastics can be stretched to a point
They generally tend to both resist, and stay in
the shape they are stretched to.
 Elastomers, as the name suggests, bounce
back.
The addition of plasticizers to the melt can
render a more pliable thermoplastic.

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 Fibers – strength and stiffness
 Plasticizers – flexibility
 Lubricants – Ease to mold
 Anti-oxidants – Thermal stability
 Ultra-violet stabilizers – Resistance against
sunlight

Every time a thermoplastic is changed, it

takes on different properties, creating a
substance that can be used for a wide variety10
of purposes
Extrusion
 Greek word ‘push out’
 Continuous process
Process forces a molten materials (plastic) through a
shaped die by means of pressure
e.g. melting of plastic resin + adding mixing fillers
In this process, screws are used to progress the
polymer in the molten or rubbery state along the
barrel of the machine
Single screw extruder is widely used, however twin
screw extruder are also used where superior mixing
is needed

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 The channel depth decreases from
feed end to die end

Solid polymer is fed in at one end, inside the

polymer melts and Homogenizes and molten
extrudate
There are 3emerges
zones; from the other
feed zone, compression zone and metering zone
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Materials fed into hopper, falls through a hole in the
top the extruder (feed throat)
Onto the screw. The screw moves the molten plastic
forward until the end of the
Extruder barrel to which die has been attached. Die
gives shape to molten plastics,
Cooled in water tank.
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The screw rotate in the
same direction

The screw rotate counter

To each other

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Major examples – Cover 76% synthetic plastics
made in US (J . G. Smith, 2008)
Called the “Big Six”
Each is assigned a recycling code
The lower the number, the easier it is to recycle
Recycle Polymer Name
Code
1 PET – Polyethylene Terephthalate
2 HDPE – High Density Polyethylene
3 PVC – Poly (Vinyl Chloride)
4 LDPE – Low Density Polyethylene
5 PP – Polypropylene
6 PS – Polystyrene 17
 PET is used to make bottles
which are commonly
employed for beverages,
storage and stocking
purposes.

PET Recycled Bottles

Exhibited at SWANCC
(Solid Waste Agency of Northern
Cook County)
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Des Plaines , Illinois
Made from petroleum.
 1.75 kg of petroleum = 1 kg of HDPE
 Stiff, strong, easily colored HDPE is used in
pipes

Recycled HDPE is
used for making
sports clothing
and Tyvek
insulation

HDPE is used in pipes and ropes

Another use is toys and household utensils 19
Polyvinyl chloride is the third most widely
produced thermoplastic
Widely used in construction because it is cheap,
durable, and easy to assemble
PVC recycled uses

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Made from petroleum
First grade of polyethylene, produced in 1933
by ICI.
Provides excellent resistance against all attacks
except oils, oxidizing agents, hydrocarbons.
Widely used for containers, dispensing and
wash bottles, tubing, plastic bags for computer
components, and various molded laboratory
equipment.

Recycled trash bags 21

Made by chemical industry
Used in  packaging, textiles , stationery, plastic
parts, loudspeakers, laboratory equipment,
automotive components, and polymer
banknotes

Recycled PP used for making furniture

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An aromatic polymer
Manufactured from petroleum by the chemical
industry
used for disposable cutlery, plastic models, CD
and DVD cases, and smoke detector housings.

PS recycle use
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