The clothes which we wear are made of fabrics.

Fabrics are made from fibres obtained from natural or artificial sources. Fibres are also used for making a large variety of household articles. Natural fibres like cotton, wool, silk, etc., are obtained from plants or animals. The synthetic fibres, on the other hand, are made by human beings. That is why these are called synthetic or man-made fibres..

Look at the uniform pattern found in the necklace of beads joined with the help of a thread and a number of paper clips joined together to make a long chain.

A synthetic fibre is also a chain of small units joined together. Each small unit is actually a chemical substance. Many such small units combine to form a large single unit called a polymer. The word polymer comes from two Greek words; poly meaning many and mer meaning part/unit. So, a polymer is made of many repeating units.

1. RAYON

2. NYLON
3. TERYLENE 4. POLYETHENE TETRAPHTHALATE (PET) 5. ACRYLIC FIBRES (ACRYLON)

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, scientists were successful in obtaining a fibre having properties similar to that of silk. Such a fibre was obtained by chemical treatment of wood pulp. This fibre was called rayon or artificial silk. Although rayon is obtained from a natural source, wood pulp, yet it is a man-made fibre. It is cheaper than silk and can be woven like silk fibres. It can also be dyed in a wide variety of colours. Rayon is mixed with cotton to make bed sheets or mixed with wool to make carpets.

Nylon is another man-made fibre. In 1931, it was made without using any natural raw material (from plant or animal). It was prepared from coal, water and air. It was the first fully synthetic fibre. Nylon fibre was strong, elastic and light. It was lustrous and easy to wash. So, it became very popular for making clothes. We use many articles made from nylon, such as socks, ropes, tents, toothbrushes, car seat belts, sleeping bags, curtains etc. Nylon is also used for making parachutes and ropes for rock climbing. A nylon thread is actually stronger than a steel wire.

Terylene fabric is a synthetic polyester fibre based on terephthalic acid. It is characterised by weightlessness and crease resistance. Terylene is mostly used for clothing, ropes, sheets, sails and many others. The name 'terylene fabric' may also refer to any large class of synthetic fabric.

It's a plastic resin and the most common type of polyester. Two monomersmodified ethylene glycol and purified terephthalic acidare combined to form the polymer called polyethylene terephthalate. Many beverages, food items and other consumer products are delivered in bottles or packages made from PET. The #1 code is usually found on or near the bottom of the container. It's safe, strong, transparent and versatile. Customers choose it for its safety, light weight, resealability, shatter-resistance and recyclability. Up to 100% of a PET package can be made from recycled PET, and the material can be recycled again and again.

Acrylic fabric is a type of fabric made from acrylic fibres, and was first manufactured by the DuPont Company. It uses a chemically produced substance called acrylonitrile, which is also used in the production of plastics. Acrylonitrile tends to break down easily in the environment. Acrylic fabric is used widely in knits, as upholstery covering, and the fibres may be woven to make rugs. People often think of acrylic fabric as an excellent wool substitute, and certain forms of it are exceptionally soft, while remaining light weight.

Acrylic knitting wool is good for baby wears because they are soft, warm and washable.

A transparent type of acrylic is used to cover automobile lights, lenses surgical tools etc

Uses of acrylic

Used for making artificial fur, blankets, carpets etc.

 Synthetic fibres do not depend either on an agricultural crop or on animal farming. They are generally cheaper than natural fibre. Synthetic fibres possess unique characteristics which make them popular dress material. They dry up quickly, are durable, readily available and easy to maintain. More stain resistant than natural fibres.

 Synthetic fibres burn more readily than natural. Prone to heat damage, they melt relatively easily. Prone to damage by hot washing. More electrostatic charge is generated by rubbing than with natural fibres.

Plastic is also a polymer like the synthetic fibre. All plastics do not have the same type of arrangement of units. In some it is linear, whereas in others it is cross-linked. [(a)Linear (b)Cross linked arrangements.] Plastic articles are available in all possible shapes and sizes. Plastic is easily mouldable i.e. can be shaped in any form. Plastic can be recycled, reused, coloured, melted, rolled into sheets or made into wires. That is why it finds such a variety of uses.

A lighter world with plastics! Plastics can even help you conserve your own energy! Plastic packaging means lighter shopping to carry home. A cosier world with plastics! When properly installed, plastic insulation can cut heat or cold loss at home or school by up to 70%, making it so much warmer or cooler, cosier and energyefficient!

Capture the winds power with plastics! Wind power is free but did you know that capturing the power of the wind would be impossible without plastics? Special plastics are used in the wind turbine covers and huge blades to tap into this environmentally friendly energy source!

Flying further on less fuel with plastics! Did you know that plastics are being used to replace more and more aircraft parts? The wing boxes of the Airbus A380 use plastic fibre composites, which reduces the aircraft by 1.5 tons. The aircraft can fly further and carry more cargo using the same amount of fuel, talk. Lighter cars with plastics! Plastic is an ideal material for use in car manufacturing. A modern mid-range car contains about 11% plastic material components. That means less weight, less fuel consumption and therefore less CO2 emissions.

Tapping the suns energy with plastics! Did you know that harnessing solar power would be impossible without plastics? Solar panels are made from plastics, and solar power is a free, highly efficient energy source!

Plastic packaging saves fuel! Did you know that the amount of fuel a delivery truck needs could be considerably reduced if the cargo uses plastic containers? Obvious: lightweight means less fuel consumption!

Switch off the engine with plastics! Using plastic to exploit the power of the wind can reduce a ships fuel consumption considerably, which means lower oil consumption and less CO2emissions! Keeping it cool with plastics! Todays refrigerators use plastics in their insulation systems to ensure that your food and drinks stay fresher and cooler for longer whilst using less energy! More light for less energy! Innovative technology and special plastic lenses used in todays LEDs means that they are twice as bright as conventional types using the same amount of energy! A better world with plastics! Did you know that we use plastics to keep our homes warmer, our cars lighter and our food fresher? Plastics are also used to harness wind and solar energy resources cleanly and efficiently!

Types of plastics

Thermosets

thermoplastics

Thermoset plastics
Thermoset plastics are hard and rigid. Example is Bakelite and melamine. Thermoset can be moulded to set it in any shape but it cannot be remoulded. It is dark in color, hard and resistant to heat and electricity. It is being widely used for the handle of kettles and pans. Earlier black telephone sets, electric switches, electric lamp holders, pins and plugs were made from thermoset plastic. It is also being used as a part of fibre glass sheet in the making of helmets. Melamine is a kind of Thermoset plastics used in good quality tableware. Melamine is also used as a coating on uniforms of firemen to make them fire resistant

Thermoset handles
A firemans uniform is coated with thermoset plastic to made it fire resistant

Melamine wares

An electric pin (black)

Thermoplastics
Thermoplastics are soft and flexib;e through they are not elastic like rubber and steel springs. They melt on warming and regain their shape on cooling. Thermoplastics can be drawn into fine fibers, moulded to any desired shape or stretched or spread as sheets. Some of the better known thermoplastics are nylon (polyamide), polyesters, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylic, polyurethane, polypropylene (PP), poly-tetra-fluoro-ethylene (PTEE) etc

Plastic table and chairs Plastic food containers

Plastic toys Plastic spoons and forks Plastic cups Plastic daily use items

When we go to the market, we get usually things wrapped in plastic or packed in polythene bags. That is one reason why plastic waste keeps getting accumulated in our homes. Ultimately, plastic finds its way in the garbage. Disposal of plastic is a major problem. A material which gets decomposed through natural processes, such as action by bacteria, is called biodegradable. A material which is not easily decomposed by natural processes is termed as non-biodegradable.
Type of waste Peels of vegetable and fruits, leftover foodstuff, etc. Paper Cotton cloth Wood Woollen clothes Tin, aluminium, and other metal cans Plastic bags Approximate time taken to degenerate 1 to 2 weeks. Nature of material Biodegradable

1030 days 2 to 5 months 10 to15 years About a year

100 to 500 years Several years

Biodegradable Biodegradable Biodegradable Biodegradable

Non-Biodegradable Non-Biodegradable

Plastic is a commodity that is consumed on a large-scale all around the world. The production as well as disposal of plastic, pose a great threat to all the life forms on earth. This material takes years to discompose, which is one of the factors that kill many animals in water as well as on land. During the manufacture of plastic, many hazardous chemicals are emitted which has resulted into dreadful disorders and diseases in humans. Ethylene oxide, xylene and benzene are some of the chemical toxins present in plastic that has miserable effects on the environment. Read more at Buzzle.

We should avoid the use of plastics as far as possible. Make use of bags made of cotton or jute when you go for shopping. The biodegradable and nonbiodegradable wastes should be collected separately and disposed off separately. Practise this in your homes. It is better to recycle the plastic waste. Most of the thermoplastics can be recycled. Make a list of items that can be recycled. However, during recycling certain colouring agents are added. This limits its usage especially for storage of food. As a responsible citizen remember the 4R principle. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover. Develop habits which are environment friendly.