SYNTHETIC FIBRES AND PLASTICS

The 5 R principle. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover and Refuse. Develop habits which are environment friendly.

A material which gets decomposed through natural processes, such as action by bacteria, is called biodegradable. e. g cotton, paper , vegetables and fruits etc . A material which is not easily decomposed by natural processes is termed non-biodegradable. e.g DDT , Glass ,plastics etc.

Teflon is a special plastic on which oil and water do not stick. It is used for non-stick coating on cookwares.

Plastics find extensive use in the healthcare industry. Some examples of their use are the packaging of tablets, threads used for stitching wounds, syringes, doctors’ gloves and a number of medical instruments

those plastics which when moulded once, can not be softened by heating. These are called thermosetting plastics. Twoexamples are bakelite and melamine.Bakelite is a poor conductor of heat and electricity. It is used for making electrical switches, handles of variousutensils, etc.

Those plastic which gets deformed easily on heating and can be bent easily are known as thermoplastics. e.g Polythene and PVC etc.These are used for manufacturing toys, combs and various types of containers.

. These are prepared from another type of synthetic fibre called acrylic ( artificial wool ) or false wool .The wool obtained from natural sources is quite expensive, whereas clothes made from acrylic are relatively cheap. They are available in a variety of colours. Synthetic fibres are more durable and affordable which makes them more …

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All the synthetic fibres are prepared by a number of processes using raw materials of petroleum origin, calledpetrochemicals.

Polyester (Poly+ester) is actually made up of the repeating units of a chemical called an ester. Esters are thechemicals which give fruits their smell. Fabrics are sold by names like polycot, polywool, terrycot, etc. As the namesuggests, these are made by mixing two types of fibres. Polycot is a mixture of polyester and cotton. Polywool …

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Polyester and Acrylic Polyester is another synthetic fibre. Fabric made from this fibre does not get wrinkled easily. It remains crisp and iseasy to wash. So, it is quite suitable for making dress material. You must have seen people wearing polyester shirts and other dresses. Terylene is a popular polyester. It can be drawn into …

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