Synthetic Plastic

Disusun Oleh :
Bimo Setio Wicaksono 21030117190174
Azka
Gede
Hani

Class : IUP

Departemen Teknik Kimia

Fakultas Teknik Kimia Universitas Diponegoro
Semarang
2018
 BAB I
Introduction

1.1 Introduction
Plastic covers a range of synthetic or semisynthetic polymerization products.
Plastics are polymers: long chains of atoms bonded to one another. All plastics are
polymers but not all polymers are plastics; there are actually few natural polymers.
Nature has always produced polymers such as cellulose, the DNA molecule and
proteins. Plastic production was inspired by Nature’s polymers. Plastics may contain
other substances than polymers in order to reach a mean performance; certain types
of plastic are suitable for packaging (25% of the US plastic production – 37% of
the European plastic production), others for building and construction (22% in US
– 20% in EU), and others for toys and medical stuff (13% in US – 9% in EU),
transportation (5% in US – 7.5% in EU), furniture (4% in US – 3.5% in EU),
electronic stuff (4% in US – 7.5% in EU) etc. ([1] and PlasticsEurope, Appendix 1).
Today, plastics frequently replace most traditional materials such as wood,
metal, glass, leather, paper and rubber because they can be lighter, stronger,
corrosion resistant, very durable and a better insulator. These properties often make
plastics more economical to use than other materials. They are used throughout
industry and business; they influence the way we dress, the way we enjoy ourselves
and the way we live. Many plastics have become household names - nylon, polyester
and so on.

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 BAB II
Discussion

2.1 Type of Plastic

1. Natural plastics
these are naturally occurring materials that can be said to be plastics because
they can be shaped and moulded by heat. An example of this is amber, which
is a form of fossilised pine tree resin and is often used in jewellery manufacture.
2. Semi synthetic plastics
these are made from naturally occurring materials that have been modified or
changed but mixing other materials with them. An example of this is cellulose
acetate, which is a reaction of cellulose fibre and acetic acid and is used to make
cinema film.
3. Synthetic plastics
these are materials that are derived from breaking down, or ’cracking’ carbon
based materials, usually crude oil, coal or gas, so that their molecular structure
changes. This is generally done in petrochemical refineries under heat and
pressure, and is the first of the manufacturing processes that is required to
produce most of our present day, commonly occurring plastics. Synthetic and
semi synthetic plastics can be further divided into two other categories. These
two categories are defined by the ways in which different plastics react when
heated.
4. Thermoplastics
these are plastics that can be softened and formed using heat, and when cool,
will take up the shape that they have been formed into. But if heat is reapplied
they will soften again. Examples of thermoplastics are acrylic and styrene,
probably the most common plastics found in school workshops.
5. Thermosetting plastics
these are plastics that soften when heated, and can be moulded when soft, and
when cool they will set into the moulded shape. But if heat is reapplied they

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 will not soften again, they are permanently in the shape that they have been
moulded into. Why this happens we will look at later. Examples of
thermosetting plastics are polyester resins used in glass reinforced plastics
work, and melamine formaldehyde used in the manufacture of Formica for
kitchen work surfaces.
2.2 Synthetic Plastic Production
Most modern plastics are derived from natural materials such as oil, coal
and natural gas with crude oil remaining the most important raw material for
their production. The starting point for the production process is the distillation,
in petrochemical refineries, of the raw material into fractions (different parts).
The heavy fractions give us lubrication oils and the heavy oils used for heating
fuels. The lighter fractions give us gas, petrol, paraffin and naphtha. The
chemical building blocks for making plastics come mainly from naphtha.DD

Figure 1 Distillation from Crude Oil

The start of making plastics is to subject naptha to a cracking process in which
complex organic chemical compounds are separated into smaller molecules,

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dependent on their molecular weight. These smaller molecules include ethylene,
propylene, butene and other hydrocarbons. The compounds produced through the
cracking process are then further refined to produce the base plastic materials.

Figure 2 Cracking Naptha

2.3 Plastic Production Process and Description

Polymer Heating Pressing Moulding

Cutting Cooling

Figure 3 Flowchart of Plastic Production

1. Heating : Breaking down the molecular structure of the polimer
2. Pressing : Forming the plastic in molecular level
3. Moulding : Shaping the plastic while it easy to form
4. Cooling : fixing the shape
5. Cutting : many type of cutting plastic to form the plastic on the right size

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 Reference

http://plastiquarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/plasticbook.pdf
http://www.petroleum.co.uk/plastic-production
Gervet, Bruno. The Use of Crude Oil in Plastic Making. 2007. Luleå University of
Technology : Sweden