polymer hydrolysis and disposal

addition and condensation

how are condensation polymers hydrolysed?

in the presence of a strong acid/specific enzyme

can you complete this table?

yes!

give the methods of polymer disposal:

• landfill

• incineration

• recycling

give the benefits and drawbacks of disposing of (addition) polymers in landfill:

benefits:

• useful for disposing of plastics which:

  • are too diff to recycle

  • are too diff to separate from other materials

  • there is not enough plastic to extract to make it economically viable

drawbacks:

• decomposition of waste in landfill produces methane - greenhouse gas

• risk of water contamination from waste leaching

• large amounts of land needed - unsustainable and expensive

give the benefits and drawbacks of incineration as a method of polymer disposal:

benefits:

• method of disposal if the plastics can’t be recycled

• E from burning can be used to generate electricity

drawbacks:

• can release toxic fumes so must be monitored e.g. PVC produces toxic HCl fumes

  • flue gas scrubbers used to neutralise toxic gases produced by firing a base at the flue gases

give the benefits and drawbacks of recycling as a form of polymer disposal:

benefits:

• cheaper

• less CO₂ produced than incineration

• reduces reliance on landfill

• preserves non-renewable raw materials e.g. crude oil

drawbacks:

• can be contaminated w/ other materials when being recycled

• diff to recycle due to wide variety of diff plastics

• diff to remake original plastic from recycled material

• sorting and process recycling of plastics more expensive than incineration

golf balls recovered from lakes and ponds can be used again even after being in water for several years - explain why these golf balls do not biodegrade (1)

either:

• C-C bonds are non polar/strong/not attacked by nucleophiles

• C-C bonds cannot be hydrolysed