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How green are petro‐polymers going to be?
Author(s) -
Put Jos
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
macromolecular symposia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.257
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-3900
pISSN - 1022-1360
DOI - 10.1002/masy.19981270103
Subject(s) - polymer , natural polymers , renewable energy , polymer science , biochemical engineering , materials science , engineering , composite material , electrical engineering
The controversy between “petro‐polymers” and “green polymers” is a false one. Polymers synthesized by organisms, manipulated or not, are seen as green. Polymers based on cracker products, so called petro‐polymers, are considered to be environmentally unfriendly. Arguments used in favour of “natural” polymers are: biodegradability, renewable resources, recyclability, non waste producing etc. We think that several of these arguments are incorrect or irrelevant. Furthermore, we are convinced that petro‐polymers might move substantially towards a sustainable situation. It might seem strange, but the most important steps towards such a situation have to be made not in the field of petro‐polymers themselves but in the domain of energy supply.