1. The first artificial plastic was obtained by the Englishman Alexander Parks in 1855. The plastic, called parkesin, was made from cellulose treated with nitric acid and a solvent.
2. In 1866, Alexander Parks founded the Parkesine Company for the production of parkesine, but after 2 years the company went bankrupt due to poor product quality.
3. More extensive plastics production began in the early 1870s, after American inventor John Wesley Hyatt acquired Parkes' patent and experimented with cellulose nitrate to produce billiard balls, which were hitherto made from expensive ivory. In 1870, John Hyatt and his brother patented a new material called celluloid. Later, this material was used in the production of the first flexible film for photography and cinema.
4. The first plastic in Russia was synthesized in 1913 on the territory of the modern Moscow region.
5. The name "plastic" means that this material is capable of being molded under the action of heat and pressure and retains a predetermined shape after cooling or curing.
6. Conventional plastics are generally derived from oil and gas, so their production requires more fossil fuels.
7. There are two main types of plastics: thermoplastics and thermosets. Their main difference is that thermoplastics can be re-melted, but thermosets cannot, since after curing they cannot pass into a viscous-flow state.
8. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is based on used plastic, may contain over one hundred million tons of garbage. It was formed and continues to grow thanks to surface currents that pick up waste thrown into the ocean and move it to the center of the whirlpool, which does not release debris beyond its limits.
9. The PET bottle was patented in 1973. All modern plastic bottles that we see in stores are the same patent.
10. The world produces more than 300 million tons of plastic per year, but only 20-25% of plastic is recycled.
11. The most common plastic on Earth, polyethylene, is made of artificial material, while its similar companion, cellophane, is made of natural material. Polyethylene is produced by chemical synthesis of gaseous ethylene hydrocarbon, and cellophane is obtained by processing cellulose, the raw material for which is wood.
12. Bisphenol A was recognized as a hazardous substance in plastic. In 2010, it was proved that when food containing bisphenol A is heated or stored for a long time in a container, it passes into food and can lead to poisoning. Now bisphenol A is found in the third and seventh class of plastics, which are not related to the food industry. It is noteworthy that even before the publication of the report, the production of plastics with bisphenol was banned in Canada and Japan.
13. For the production of disposable tableware, polystyrene ("PS", the sixth class of plastics) is used, which, when heated, begins to release toxic substances.
14. Plastic containers for food must be marked with such an icon as "glass and fork". If there is no this corresponding icon or it is crossed out, then, regardless of the international marking number, the plastic is not food grade.
15. Nowadays, the term “bioplastic” is gaining popularity - these are plastics from renewable sources, for example, plants and microorganisms. However, not all bioplastics are biodegradable.
