Not only do performance plastics have a low overall lifecycle carbon footprint, including being recyclable, they are used directly in applications that help preserve and restore the world in which we live. From water treatment and pollution control to solar and biofuel systems, high-performance polymers protect and conserve natural resources.
Applications
- Waste water system components
- Drinking water and sewage system flow control components
- Desalinization plant system components
- Pollution control scrubbing and piping components
- Landfill vent pipes
- Compost containers
- Trash truck components
- Construction, heavy equipment and transportation "lube free" wear components
- Incineration and storage conveyor components
- Clean water well exploration and production components
- Solar energy system components
- Biofuel cultivation, harvesting and processing components
- Fuel cell manifolds
Advantages May Include
- Strength
- Toughness
- Chemical, moisture and heat resistant
- Ease of processing and forming
- Ease of sealing
- Lighter and less expensive to manufacture than metal
- Transmits over 90 percent of light, yet is resistant to UV
- Weather resistant
- Recyclable
- Immune to electrolytic and galvanic corrosion, scaling, rusting and pitting
- Resistant to abrasion, bacteria and fungi
- Less frequent maintenance and replacement
- Less costly to transport and install
- Water conservation via fewer water main breaks
- High aesthetic appeal
Materials
- Bioplastics
- Cast Nylon (PA)
- Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride (CPVC)
- High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
- Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
- Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT)
- Polycarbonate (PC)
- Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET, PETE)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polystyrene (PS)
- Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
- Polyetherimide (PEI)
- Plastic grates and walkways
Sustainability Advantages of Performance Plastics
One ton of recycled plastic saves:
5,774 Kwh
of energy
16.3
barrels of oil
98 Million
BTUs of energy
30 cu. yd.
of landfill space
Source: lbre.stanford.edu / fastenercomponents.com / daiaplastic.com / ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3.8 Barrels
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, recycling a ton of plastic conserves about 3.8 barrels of crude oil.
Source: fastenercomponents.com
4%
Plastics consume just 4% of oil production. They take less energy — and less fossil fuel — to make than most traditional materials, conserving resources while costing less.
Source: daiaplastic.com
50%
Plastics capture 50% of the carbon that is used to produce them.
Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Advanced recycling technologies emit fewer emissions than traditional recycling methods. Pyrolysis can reduce CO₂ emissions by about 50% compared to incineration. Per an Argonne National Laboratory study, making ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel from used plastics can save:
58%
Less water consumed
96%
Less traditional energy used
Source: Argonne National Laboratory / Advanced Recycling Technologies
iapd
the performance plastics association
Sustainability
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