Synthetic plastics without fossil fuels

[robynmc]

Could you help me find resources about this? I searched synthetic industrial plastics and it didn't return much.
I'm not that sure how to frame the question, what the question is. I'm interested to know how/whether plastics and other polymers and so on might be mass produced from simpler forms than processed hydrocarbons. What might that side of the fossil fuel industry to look like in 50 or 100 years, from a technical perspective not political. Possibilities.

 

[hutchphd]

Rayon. Cellophane. Where do you wish to start?

 

[jrmichler]

Try searching bioplastics. It's being done right now, but at high cost. The first page of results has information about the chemistry, sources of the raw materials, recyclability, and land needed. Possibilities, yes, but practical realities override wishful thinking.

 

[robynmc]

Rayon. Cellophane. Where do you wish to start?

Trying to work out what i want to know, as I say, but for example I've heard it suggested high grade plastics are an end to which the rest of oil refining is almost just an economy of scale. Is it feasible that scaled up chem labs will ever displace refinery sources entirely? Even in principle

 

[robynmc]

Try searching bioplastics. It's being done right now, but at high cost. The first page of results has information about the chemistry, sources of the raw materials, recyclability, and land needed. Possibilities, yes, but practical realities override wishful thinking.

Thanks!

 

[jsgruszynski]

Could you help me find resources about this? I searched synthetic industrial plastics and it didn't return much.
I'm not that sure how to frame the question, what the question is. I'm interested to know how/whether plastics and other polymers and so on might be mass produced from simpler forms than processed hydrocarbons. What might that side of the fossil fuel industry to look like in 50 or 100 years, from a technical perspective not political. Possibilities.

Well, you still need a carbon source because plastics are carbon-based. And presumably you'd need an "end of life cycle" plan as well if "carbon removal" is your ideological goal. This feedstock issue probably still REQUIRES fossil fuels.

Ultimately you still need energy to do ANY modification of ANY carbon feedstock to make plastics.
If it's not fossil, it probably needs to be nuclear because you need high density energy for most of the chemical processes that are not already fossil derived. This is where thermodynamically only nuclear can better fossil fuels. Green Energy is NOT going to cut it because it's high-entropy, low-density which generally is incompatible with 19th/20th/21st century industrial processes and supply chains.

If both of these are no-go with your ideology, then the only solution is natural polymers - e.g. plant cellulose (e.g. cotton) and animal fibers (e.g. wool). There are no pre-19th century technologies or processes that can do better. The 19th century did better them but only with fossil fuels and feedstocks.

 

[Isopod]

This company is making a substitute for styrofoam out of mushrooms, the processes behind it really are quite fascinating and the company is beginning to make the enterprise quite commmercially viable (they are also growing mushroom bacon too):