A Breakdown of Polypropylene

SCH4U Assignment — Plastic Identification and Mitigation Plan

I. LOVE. Sandwiches. 🥪 😋

It’s always two pieces of bread filled with endless combinations. It’s so indulging and simple.

So when thinking about what plastic I should use in my house for this assignment, my good ol’ trusty sandwich container immediately came to mind.

Every day at school I would have some type of sandwich or rice for lunch, but the one constant that remained was that very same blue Roots container.

That container has been with me my whole life and knows everything about what foods I like, so I figured that for this assignment I should try to hold up my end of the relationship and get to know it a little bit better too.

Basics

This container has a resin identification code that is numbered 5, followed by the symbol PP underneath it.

This is what it looked like on the bottom of the container

To clarify these terms, a resin identification code has a number from 1 to 7 which indicates the kind of plastic that the material is made up of. The triangle around this number represents that the material is something that can be recycled. Finally, the PP symbol represents the name of the plastic called polypropylene, which has a chemical formula of (C3H6)n.

Synthesis Overview

The monomer used to synthesize this polypropylene plastic is propene (or propylene) which has a chemical formula of C3H6, as shown below:

The same thing is written in two different ways

The synthesis of two of these monomers than create a dimer looks like this:

The same thing is again written in two different ways

This organic reaction appears to be an addition reaction.

In an addition reaction, atoms are added to a carbon-carbon double or triple bond, where the carbon atoms in the product(s) are bonded to more atoms than the carbon atoms in the organic reactant.

We can see in this example that the monomer has a carbon-carbon double bond, but in the dimer product, there is no longer that double bond and the carbon atoms are bonded to more hydrogen atoms than they were in the reactant. This is why it is an addition reaction.

Polypropylene Overview

Polypropylene can be recycled and is the world’s second-most widely produced synthetic plastic. Since polypropylene is one of the most flexible thermoplastics on the planet, its widespread use is undoubted.

Some of its most common applications are reusable containers (as I have with my own item), plastic parts, and automotive components, as well as medical bottles, yogurt tabs, cereal box liners, and bottle caps. They can even be recycled into brushes, battery cases, and bike racks.

Based on research, propene (or propylene) that has been liquefied may cause frostbite. Exposure to high concentrations of it can decrease the oxygen levels in the air which can cause suffocation symptoms like headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, loss of coordination, and even death.

When it comes to the environment, it is not specifically toxic to aquatic animals. Since it is very volatile, it evaporates into the atmosphere and undergoes degradation in the presence of sunlight, making it unlikely to cause ground or water pollution.

Of course, high levels of polypropylene can be harmful to humans and the environment, but in a recent study from the Government of Canada, current levels of polypropylene exposure to propene are not particularly harmful to environmental or human health.

Plastics as a Whole

When it comes to plastics overall, it is a very different story with how much they impact the environment.

Let’s look at some of their pros and cons:

We can see here that while their main attraction is their versatility in being able to have many different uses for us humans, we are at a point in history where the cons, unfortunately, outweigh the pros significantly.

Here are a few facts to understand the magnitude of the plastic pollution issue:

• Plastics consistently make up 80% of all marine debris
• 269,000 tonnes of macro and microplastic pieces are floating in the ocean
• 100,000 marine mammals/turtles and 1 million sea birds are killed by marine plastic pollution each year
• 2 million plastic bags are used worldwide every minute
• There will be more plastic than fish in oceans by 2050

So, it’s pretty clear to see that plastic pollution is one of the biggest problems of our time and one that needs immediate and severe action taken against it.

Sustainability Plan

Right now, we know that we need to determine ways so that plastic pollution can be significantly minimized. To do this, we need to not just preach and raise awareness, but truly create a movement that the whole world can be part of.

Any great movement has 3 key parts:

• Information — People need access to relevant, trustworthy information about the sustainability of plastic products they use on a regular basis
• Motivation — People need to feel that plastic pollution is a problem that is relevant to them, and must know how exactly to solve it
• Opportunity — Need to be given clear chances to make changes in their life that can have a huge impact on reducing plastic pollution

My plan to reduce plastic pollution in my community is to develop an education program that informs people about the effects of plastic pollution and the small actions that each of us can take to reduce our own plastic consumption, as well as customizing the messaging for different demographics so that they feel incentivized to help out.

By looking at the suggested action plan below, the first 6 months are focused strictly on “Information” to help people get informed about the problem (through our own research, developing an education program, and presenting it to people).

The next 6 months are focused on “Motivation” by promoting different events and partnerships for people in their local communities so that they know it’s a problem that is all around them.

The 2nd year onwards is when different local events can occur so that people can have the “Opportunity” to help out with cleaning up their community and feel like they are part of a bigger global movement.

Here is what the plastic sustainability plan could look like

Young Innovators in the Fight

I wanted to end by shining the spotlight on the younger generation that is right in the middle of this over-arching fight against climate change and specifically, in this case, plastic pollution.

Here is an interview I did with Naila Moloo, a 16-year-old from Ottawa who is really passionate about sustainability and is working on creating a bioplastic using duckweed.

The main advantages of bioplastics are that they:

• Use less fossil fuel resources
• Have a smaller carbon footprint and faster decomposition
• They are less toxic

With the help of young innovators like Naila, we can truly create a movement where people care about the planet and want to protect it for generations to come! 🌎 ❤️

Sources

New Jersey Department of Health. May 2017. Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet. In Right to Know. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/1609.pdf

Government of Canada. September 9, 2014. Propene (1-Propene). In Chemicals at a glance. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/chemical-substances/fact-sheets/chemicals-glance/propene.html

Total. (n.d.). GPS Safety Summary — PROPYLENE. In Refining & Chemicals. Retrieved Aril 26, 2022, from https://polymers.totalenergies.com/sites/g/files/wompnd1726/f/atoms/files/gps-safety-summary-propylene.pdf

One planet. (n.d.). Campaigns that work. In Reducing plastic pollution. Retrieved April 27, 2022, from https://www.campaignsthatwork.org/

Plastic Smart Cities. (n.d.). Recycling Incentive Scheme. In Best Practices. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://plasticsmartcities.org/products/recycling-incentive-scheme