Research
I am studying the life cycle of plastic. Right now I’m focusing on polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, which has the #1 recycling symbol and is in its most familiar form as a disposable soda or water bottle.
Below is a link to a plan showing the many processes involved in manufacturing PET, starting from crude oil and natural gas. The oil and gas are used to make xylene (using a platinum catalyst) and ethylene (from a process called steam cracking). Ethylene is turned into ethylene glycol, and xylene is turned into terephthalic acid. The two are then combined to make PET.
But in order for that to work, the various refining plants require electricity, thermal energy, transportation, and waste disposal. The plan shows how everything links together. It’s supposed to be confusing.
I’ll add a thumbnail as soon as I figure out how.