SYNTHETIC FIBRE AND PLASTICS

SYNTHETIC FIBRE AND PLASTICS

By Omisha Jain

​Synthetic fibres and plastics, like natural fibres, are made of very large units called polymers. Polymers are made up of many smaller units.
While natural fibres are obtained from plants and animals, synthetic fibres are obtained by chemical processing of petrochemicals. Like natural fibres, these fibres can also be woven into fabrics.
Synthetic fibres find uses ranging from many household articles like ropes, buckets, furniture, containers, etc. to highly specialized uses in aircrafts, ships, spacecrafts, healthcare, etc

​Depending upon the types of chemicals used for manufacturing synthetic fibres, they are named as Rayon, Nylon, Polyester and Acrylic.
The different types of fibres differ from one another in their strength, water absorbing capacity, nature of burning, cost, durability, etc.
Today, life without plastics cannot be imagined. Be it home, or outside, plastic is every where.

​The waste created by plastics is not environment friendly. On burning plastics release poisonous gases. On dumping in the ground they may take years to degenerate. This is because of their non-biodegradable nature.
We need to use synthetic fibres and plastics in such a manner that we can enjoy their good qualities and at the same time minimise the environmental hazards for the living communities.