Product Innovation - A Report on Plastics - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1482 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Uncategorized Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? Introduction Plastics have inspired and continue to give an impetus driving innovation that helps to solve societyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s greatest challenges from lifesaving technologies to more sustainable living. In 1850s, plastics were first introduced by Alexander Parkes in the UK while the demand for natural polymers like amber, tortoise shells and animal horns was increasing but their supplies were limited (Andrady and Neal, 2009). As created to have similar and comparable properties to those natural polymers, plastics or synthetic polymers have been accepted to be innovative products and widely used in all industries. To date, there is a very few thing around the world which are not made of plastics. What are Plastics? Plastics are synthetic materials which typically are produced by polymerizing small single molecules known as monomers derived from petrochemical plant (Thompson et al, 2009) or other organic materials such as wood fibers, corn or banana peels. They are divided into two main categories, namely Thermoplastics and Thermosets. Significantly, the majority of plastics produced are Thermoplastics due to being moldable, reheated and reformed repeatedly without chemical change, whereas the latter can be formed only once and will be decomposed after reheat (Gloag, 1946). Although there are many different types of plastics in each group with different characteristics, all plastics have their general attributes including resistance to chemical, thermal and electrical insulators, lightweight, various degree of strength and wide range of characteristics and colours (American Chemistry Council). They can be mixed with a wide range of additives, depending on required finished products, to improve mechanical, physical or chemical properties such as foamed structure, flame retardancy, surface appearance improvement or friction reducing (American Chemistry Council). Plastics consumption Since they can imitate natures, plast ics inevitably have been involved and revolutionized our lives for more than a century. The amount of global plastic production has increased over the last 60 years, from 1.7 million tones in 1950 to approximately 280 million in 2010 (Plastics Europe, 2013). Interestingly, there are four main reasons for such an increase in plastics consumption. Firstly, plastics can enhance their properties relating to toughness, lightness and chemical resistance by adding various types of chemical additives. For example, plasticizers allow plastics to be more flexible. This can be found in food packaging and processing such as plastic film wraps (American Chemistry Council). UV stabilizers, in particular, are added to prevent plastic degradation. Thus, the normal addition of various additives leads to both radical and incremental products innovation in all industries including packaging industry, building and construction industry, automotive industry, electrical and electronic industry and oth ers (Plastics Europe, 2013). Secondly, plastics can be molded and transformed into a wide range of forms which are necessary in all industries ranging from clothing to cutting edge technologies. Thirdly, in comparison with natural materials, plastics are inexpensive and capable of industrial cost saving. Therefore, they replace most of previous key materials such as natural polymers like metal and woods. Lastly, culture change also has an impact on the demand for plastics. Plastics were taken into account as an innovation in packaging industry, as Figure 1: World plastic production Source : Plastics à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the Facts 2012 : An analysis of European plastics production ,demand and waste data for 2011 replacement for glass and aluminium packaging, when consumers demanded for product visibility (Lange and Wyser, 2003). Although most of plastics are not transparent, they can be added some additives to create transparent plastics, such as Acrylic (polymethla methacrylate), Butyrate (cellulose acetate butyrate), Lexan (polycarbonate) and PETG (glycol modified polyethylene terphthalate). Societal benefit of plastics 1. Plastics reduce carbon monoxide emission from transportations. Due to their light weight, plastics reduce vehiclesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ weight and fuel burning, resulting in less carbon monoxide emissions which contribute to global warming. Nowadays, 20 % of private or public vehicles is made of plastics, typically in door liners, steering wheels and electronics, to make vehicles lighter than using other materials such as metals (Andrady and Neal, 2009). Wings and fuselage of Airbus A380, for instance, are designed to use 22% of carbon fibre plastics compound and consequently can result in 15% fuel saving (Plastics Europe, 2013). 2. Plastics offer health benefits in many ways. In food industry, plastics are used extensively as food containers. PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate), in particular, is normally employed fo r drinking water bottle, to keep food and water fresh and reduce food and water waste (American Chemistry Council). More importantly, plastics can protect water from contamination caused by water supply. Thus, metal pipes in original pipe system which became rusty because of Oxidation of iron in water (BBC Bitesize) were replaced by plastic pipes. Additionally, in medical aspect, plastics also offer a wide range of medical advantages such as medical packaging and devices including blood and IV bags, supporting tubes, syringes and surgical equipment (SPI, 2013). Obviously, they are incorporated into hospital design as they assist in easy cleaning and sterilizing operation room as well as isolation area against infectious and medical advance technology, especially involving restoration of heart, joints and teeth functions and creation of artificial plastic blood (Plastics Europe, 2013). 3. Initiate economics growth and employment opportunities. As great demand of plastics, there are more than 1.6 million people are employed in the European plastics industries with 300 million euros turnover (Thompson et al, 2009). 4. Plastics enable more efficient renewable energy. Plastics can be used for an innovation of generating renewable energy such as wind energy and solar energy. To produce wind energy by windmills, using fibre-reinforced plastics (FRIP) in production of a plastic blade and a plastic rotor offers 33% saving on Greenhouse Gas emission (GHGs) which are the major factor of climate change (Plastic Europe, 2012). In addition, 98% of solar cells are plastic photovoltaics which provide more cost-efficiency, flexibility and GHGs saving than rigid silicon solar cells (Plastic Europe, 2012). 5. Plastics lead to advance technology. Plastics possess the properties of thermal resistance, light weight and lower cost. Consequently, they are always engaged in developing electronic products and applications. For example, in hybrid solar cells, a new generatio n of solar cells from a combination between plastics and nanotechnology causes lower cost and is easier to be produced than their semiconductor counterparts. 6. Improve building and construction performance as well as save energy. Insulation foams or Polystyrene (PS) is recognized as one of the most energy-efficient building materials. By comparing insulation properties between insulation foam and concrete, 1.6 centimeters thick of rigid plastic foam is equivalent to 1.3 meters concrete thick (Plastic Europe, 2012). Furthermore, an installation of plastic applications such as doors and windows frames tends to be easy as they are lighter than other materials. Also, plastics can be used for road base-courses. A Styropor foam, commonly known as EPS, is a thermoplastic replacing concrete in construction of road when load-bearing subsoil is poor, to prevent soil deformation from the weight of concrete (GeoTech Systems Corporation, 1993). The potential example in this respect is the 10 0 % recycled plastic bridge in the Onion Ditch Bridge; a new bridge in Logan County, Ohio, whose important parts were water bottles and detergent bottles which were made of PET plastics. In construction and civil engineering, plastics are usually molded into I-Beam or I-shaped sectors in order to create strength and lightweight (Rhey, 2012). Opportunity to be failure products Although plastics become basic components in all industries as they bring numerous societal benefits, there are several concerns that might cause their failure in the future. Firstly, plastics cause public health problems. Most of additives, including bisphenol A (BPA) ,which are found in many products such as medical devices, food containers, cosmetics, toys and flooring material, and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE), are toxic and can transfer directly from plastic packaging to human (Thompson et al, 2009). The second is waste management problems. Owing to their durability, plastics require a great amount of time for degradation or biodegradation, depending on the chemical compounds of materials and additives added. Moreover, they never burn easily as they melt and bubble and cause a terrible and dioxin smell. Most importantly, plastics cause environmental problem. If they are destroyed by burning, they will emit hazardous gas such as hydrogen chloride gas which causes greenhouse effect and eventual climate change. Moreover, if they are buried into the land, it will bar eluviation of rain water, possibly resulting in flood. Even though 26% of used plastics such as plastic bottles can be recycled, a considerable proportion of 38% is arranged into landfill (Thompson et al, 2009). As a result, toxic from additives in plastics will contaminate surrounding environments like rivers, seas or oceans. Conclusion Plastics are described as a very successful product innovation indicated from a continuous increase in demand and their productions. There are three main succes s factors for plastics to become success innovative product. Firstly, their adaptable molecule structure for various unique properties such as flexibility and durability and forms lead to many technological advance in all industries. Secondly, they bring numerous societal benefits including health and environmental benefits and employment. Lastly, they have lower cost than other materials. However, there is an opportunity for them to obtain failure in the future because they can bring about important problems, particularly concerning environment and public health. 1 Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Product Innovation A Report on Plastics" essay for you Create order

Energy and Industrialized Agriculture Essay - 1599 Words

Agricultural practices throughout the ages have evolved dramatically. Having started off as simple pastoral management and shifting cultivation, these methods have been altered substantially in the name of â€Å"progress†, primarily in the US and other industrialized nations. Through this progression the energy inputs and outputs has been drastically altered. The industrialized food system as we know it is much more complex today than the simple agricultural practices used thousands of years ago. Today, the industrialized agricultural system is dependent on extraordinary amounts of fossil fuel inputs in order to maintain its complexity. Energy is needed for growing, processing, packaging, distributing, preparing and disposing of food. With the†¦show more content†¦These factors account for the calculation that on average each person in the US consumes 400 gallons of oil equivalent each year. [4] Most of this energy is used for the production of fertilizers which are n ecessary for the high yielding crops we have grown accustom to. Fertilizer is produced using the Haber-Bosch process which uses methane from natural gas in order to complete nitrogen fixation from the atmosphere. Another source of this petroleum use on a smaller scale is for the production of pesticides. The crops being grown, like corn and soybeans, are monoculture which are typically more prone to insect infestation and therefore covered in energy-intensive pesticides. Most pesticides are derived from ethylene and propylene, which are obtained by catalytic cracking of crude petroleum oils, or from methane from natural gas. These crops are being grown in large part to continue the energy-inefficiency of our industrial food system. Energy on Earth is almost entirely derived from the sun. 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Arguments on Rules and Justice Free Essays

In my opinion, Socrates† analysis of human nature is very true as it ultimately brings us his definition of justice. I agree with his theory of human nature but not his social-political theory. In order to understand Plato†s theory of human nature and his social-political theory, we must examine each one of them closely. We will write a custom essay sample on Arguments on Rules and Justice or any similar topic only for you Order Now Plato believed that no one is self-sufficient enough to live individually. Human beings are not created equally; some of us are born wiser then the rest and some of us are just born stronger. For this reason, only the select few (which would be the guardians) among us are supposed to now what is best for the society and therefore becomes the ruler of everyone else. Our reasoning, spirit, and natural wants are all part of human nature. In book 1 of The Republic, Plato had several detailed discussions on the nature of justice with other speakers in a dialogue form. The process of discussion involves Socrates† questioning, arguing against various inadequate theories that attempts to define the true meaning of justice. From the rich old man Cephalus, we learned that justice involves telling the truth and repaying one†s debts. However, Socrates points out that this definition of justice is inadequate because it cannot account for the instances of certain circumstances. The simple example of returning a borrowed weapon to an insane friend who demands the return of his weapon, would be an instance of following the rule but would not seem to be just. Then Polemarchus, Cephalus†s son attempts to define justice by proposing that justice means † one should pay what is owed†. Not returning or refusing to return the borrowed weapon would clearly benefit one†s friend. Socrates said that harming our nemies is only likely to make them even more unjust than they already are and cause them to make more unjust choices. After that, Thrasymachus came up with his own definition of justice which is nothing more than the advantage of the stronger; those in positions of power use law to decide what is right. The kind of justice practiced anywhere depends on the type of government they have in power. Socrates does not disagree with this view if the facts about the society are as Thrasymachus says they are, however, he argues that sometimes rulers make mistakes. In that case obedience to the law maybe leads to its own disadvantage, therefore Thrasymachus†s definition is also inadequate. Furthermore, Socrates says that the best ruler must always know how to rule. They should rule for the art of ruling, but not their own interest alone. Later, Glaucon suggests that human beings, given an opportunity to do injustice without being caught and therefore without suffering any punishment or loss of good reputation, would naturally choose a life of injustice, in order to maximize their own interests. Glaucons efinition of justice is that it†s an equal contract, an approach between what is the best (doing injustice without paying the penalty) and the worse (suffering injustice without being able to avenge one self). Adieamantus narrows the discussion further by pointing out that to have a good reputation of justice is more important than justice is itself, whether or not that person really does have a good reputation of justice. In an attempt to provide an adequate, satisfying definition of justice, Socrates tries to make an analogy between the justice of individual human beings and of an entire society or city. Since the crucial elements of justice may be easier to observe on the larger scale like a city than on a smaller scale like an individual. Socrates focuses on the perfect city, because the city will represent the human soul. Socrates began with a detailed analysis of the formation, structure, and organization of this ideal city. He argues that since individual human beings are not self-sufficient; no one working alone can acquire all of the necessities of life by themselves. In order to resolve this difficulty, we gather together into society for the mutual achievement of our common goals. If each of us specializes in the practice of a specific art, we can work more efficiently. To make this ideal city healthy (opposite of a feverish city), Socrates states that the fundamental needs of human beings in the society are food, shelter, and clothes. From these fundamental needs, some additional requirements emerge that become necessary only because these needs are a part of the defense of the city against external attacks or internal disputes. Socrates proposed an additional class of citizens, the guardians which are responsible for guarding the city and keeping the city in order. In order to fulfill their proper functions, the guardian then must have a philosophy that gives them the ability to distinguish the true and false, friend and foes, and to avoid turning against their own kind due to external influences. I think Socrates† social-political theory does follow his theory of human nature, he believed that an ideal state, embodying the highest and best capabilities of human social life, could really be achieved, if the right people are put in charge. Since the key to the success of the whole is the wisdom of the rulers who make decisions for the entire city, Plato held hat the perfect society would occur only when kings become philosophers or philosophers are made kings. Guardians would need the virtue of courage to carry out their orders in the face of danger without regard for personal risk. The rest of the people in the city must follow its leaders instead of pursuing their private interests. Plato held that guardians should own no private property, should live and eat together at government expense, and should earn no salary greater than necessary to supply their most basic needs. Under this regime, no one will have any corrupt motive for seeking a osition of leadership, and those who are chosen to be guardians will govern solely from a concern to seek the welfare of the state and what is best for all of its citizens. Education in the city is needed to promote the achievement of a proper balance of society. Physical training and musical performance along with basic intellectual development and the ability to get rid of human natural desire would be needed to fill this position as a guardian. On Plato’s view, it is vital for a society to exercise strict control over the content of everything that children read, see, or hear. By excluding all the poets and actors, there will be only one stimulation allowed in the city which is education. The highest goal in all of education, he believed, is knowledge of the â€Å"Good†; that is, not merely an awareness of particular benefits and pleasures, but acquaintance with the actual form of â€Å"good† itself. Glaucon and Adeimantus pose some of the arguments against the kind of life style Socrates promotes. They question Guardians† happiness when they are separated from the general public. Socrates said that the happiness of the guardian must be put aside for the sake of the city. However, he points out, the guardian class should be the happiest group under such a system. Socrates† definition of justice is when each of these classes performs its own role appropriately and does not try to take over the function of any other class, Plato believed that the entire city as a whole will operate smoothly, exhibiting the harmony that is justice. Then, a human being is only properly said to be just when the three souls perform their proper functions in harmony with each other, working in agreement for the good of the person as a whole. In onclusion, it was found that the education of the guardians was necessary to keep the city running and with their education you must devote their lives to persue the common goals and good of the city. Once the individual and the other individuals in the society or city were working in complete harmony only then would the circle be complete and everything would run smoothly. However, in order to achieve this the guardian had to be trained right and raised accordingly. The people must cooperate. Everyone would reap the benefits from a perfect society. How to cite Arguments on Rules and Justice, Papers