Today, plastics are everywhere. All of this plastic originated from one small object— that isn’t even made of plastic.
Plastika je danas svuda. Sva ova plastika potiče od jednog malog predmeta koji čak nije ni napravljen od plastike.
For centuries, billiard balls were made of ivory from elephant tusks. But when excessive hunting caused elephant populations to decline in the 19th century, billiard balls makers began to look for alternatives, offering huge rewards. So in 1863 an American named John Wesley Hyatt took up the challenge. Over the next five years, he invented a new material called celluloid, made from cellulose, a compound found in wood and straw.
Bilijarske kugle su vekovima pravljene od slonovače. Međutim, kada je prečest lov doveo do pada populacije slonova u devetnaestom veku, proizvođači bilijarskih kugli počeli su da traže druge mogućnosti, nudeći velike novčane nagrade. Godine 1863, Amerikanac po imenu Džon Vesli Hajat prihvatio je izazov. Tokom narednih pet godina, izumeo je novi materijal po imenu celuloid,
Hyatt soon discovered celluloid couldn’t solve the billiard ball problem–– the material wasn’t heavy enough and didn’t bounce quite right. But it could be tinted and patterned to mimic more expensive materials like coral, tortoiseshell, amber, and mother-of-pearl. He had created what became known as the first plastic.
napravljen od celuloze, sastojka koji se nalazio u drvetu i slami. Hajat je ubrzo shvatio da celuloid neće rešiti problem bilijarskih kugli jer materijal nije bio dovoljno težak i nije odskakao kako treba. Međutim, mogao je da se boji i ukrašava da bi oponašao skuplje materijale: koral, kornjačin oklop, ćilibar, sedef. Napravio je prvu varijantu plastike.
The word ‘plastic’ can describe any material made of polymers, which are just the large molecules consisting of the same repeating subunit. This includes all human-made plastics, as well as many of the materials found in living things. But in general, when people refer to plastics, they’re referring to synthetic materials. The unifying feature of these is that they start out soft and malleable and can be molded into a particular shape.
Reč „plastika” odnosi se na bilo koji materijal napravljen od polimera, tj. velikih molekula koji se sastoje od istih podjedinica koje se ponavljaju. Ovde spada sva plastika koju čovek pravi kao i mnogi materijali koji se nalaze u živim bićima. Ipak, kada kažu plastika, ljudi uglavnom misle na sintetičke materijale. Zajedničko im je to što su u početku mekani i savitljivi, i mogu se oblikovati.
Despite taking the prize as the first official plastic, celluloid was highly flammable, which made production risky. So inventors began to hunt for alternatives. In 1907 a chemist combined phenol— a waste product of coal tar— and formaldehyde, creating a hardy new polymer called bakelite. Bakelite was much less flammable than celluloid and the raw materials used to make it were more readily available.
Uprkos tome što je zvanično bio prva plastika, celuloid je bio vrlo zapaljiv, što je činilo proizvodnju rizičnom. Pronalazači su zato počeli da traže alternative. Godine 1907, jedan hemičar je kombinovao fenol, koji se dobija od katrana, i formaldehid, stvorivši tako novi, čvrst polimer po imenu bakelit. Bakelit je bio znatno manje zapaljiv od celuloida, a sirovi materijali od kojih se pravio bili su dostupniji.
Bakelite was only the beginning. In the 1920s, researchers first commercially developed polystyrene, a spongy plastic used in insulation. Soon after came polyvinyl chloride, or vinyl, which was flexible yet hardy. Acrylics created transparent, shatter-proof panels that mimicked glass. And in the 1930s nylon took centre stage— a polymer designed to mimic silk, but with many times its strength. Starting in 1933, polyethylene became one of the most versatile plastics, still used today to make everything from grocery bags, to shampoo bottles, to bulletproof vests.
Bakelit je bio samo početak. Dvadesetih godina prošlog veka istraživači su izumeli polistiren, sunđerastu plastiku korišćenu za izolaciju. Ubrzo je stvoren polivinil hlorid, tj. vinil, koji je bio savitljiv ali čvrst. Akrilom su napravljeni providni, otporni paneli, koji su oponašali staklo. Tridesetih godina prošlog veka postao je popularan najlon, polimer dizajniran da oponaša svilu, ali mnogo jači. Početkom 1933. godine, polietilen je postao jedna od najfleksibilnijih vrsta plastike, koja se i dan-danas koristi za kese, boce šampona,
New manufacturing technologies accompanied this explosion of materials. The invention of a technique called injection-moulding made it possible to insert melted plastics into molds of any shape, where they would rapidly harden. This created possibilities for products in new varieties and shapes— and a way to inexpensively and rapidly produce plastics at scale.
pa i prsluke otporne na metke. Nove proizvodne tehnologije pratile su stvaranje sve više materijala. Pronalazak kalupljenja omogućio je da se topljena plastika ubaci u kalupe različitih oblika gde bi oni brzo očvrsnuli. To je otvorilo mogućnosti za proizvode raznih vrsta i oblika,
Scientists hoped this economical new material would make items that once had been unaffordable accessible to more people.
ali i način da se plastika brzo i jeftino proizvodi naveliko. Naučnici su se nadali da će ovaj novi i ekonomičan materijal omogućiti da predmeti koji su ranije bili nepristupačni
Instead, plastics were pushed into service in World War Two. During the war, plastic production in the United States quadrupled. Soldiers wore new plastic helmet liners and water-resistant vinyl raincoats. Pilots sat in cockpits made of plexiglass, a shatterproof plastic, and relied on parachutes made of resilient nylon.
postanu dostupni ljudima. Umesto toga plastika je korišćena u Drugom svetskom ratu. Proizvodnja plastike u SAD-u porasla je četiri puta tokom rata. Vojnici su nosili kacige i vodootporne kišne mantile od plastike. Piloti su sedeli u kabinama napravljenim od pleksiglasa, vrste otporne plastike, i koristili padobrane od otpornog najlona.
Afterwards, plastic manufacturing companies that had sprung up during wartime turned their attention to consumer products. Plastics began to replace other materials like wood, glass, and fabric in furniture, clothing, shoes, televisions, and radios. Versatile plastics opened up possibilities for packaging— mainly designed to keep food and other products fresh for longer. Suddenly, there were plastic garbage bags, stretchy plastic wrap, squeezable plastic bottles, takeaway cartons, and plastic containers for fruit, vegetables, and meat.
Nakon toga, proizvođači plastike, koji su iznikli tokom rata, okrenuli su se ka potrošačkim dobrima. Plastika je počela da bude zamena za materijale kao što su drvo, staklo, tkanina, u nameštaju, odeći, obući, televiziji, radiju. Fleksibilna plastika otvorila je mogućnosti za ambalaže, napravljene da bi hrana i drugi priozvodi duže ostali sveži. Odjednom je bilo plastičnih kesa za đubre, rastegljive plastične folije, plastičnih boca, kartona za poneti, plastičnih posuda za voće, povrće, meso.
Within just a few decades, this multifaceted material ushered in what became known as the “plastics century.” While the plastics century brought convenience and cost-effectiveness, it also created staggering environmental problems. Many plastics are made of nonrenewable resources. And plastic packaging was designed to be single-use, but some plastics take centuries to decompose, creating a huge build up of waste.
Kroz samo nekoliko decenija ovaj raznovrstan materijal započeo je takozvani „vek plastike". Iako je doneo pogodnosti i ekonomsku isplativost, takođe je stvorio zapanjujuće ekološke probleme. Puno plastike je napravljeno od neobnovljivih materijala. Plastične ambalaže namenjene su za jednokratnu upotrebu, a pojedinim vrstama plastike potrebni su vekovi da se razgrade, što dovodi do gomilanja otpada.
This century we’ll have to concentrate our innovations on addressing those problems— by reducing plastic use, developing biodegradable plastics, and finding new ways to recycle existing plastic.
U ovom veku moraćemo biti inovativni u rešavanju ovih problema: tako što ćemo smanjiti upotrebu plastike, napraviti biorazgradivu plastiku i naći nove načine da se reciklira već postojeća plastika.