Plastics (polymers) can be divided into three classes according to the structure-property principle: thermoplastics (which can be reshaped at higher temperatures), duroplastics (hard, crystalline plastics) and elastomers (soft, elastic plastics).
Synthetic plastics are produced from monomers by polymerization (polyaddition, polycondensation, etc.). Cracked naphtha is almost always used as the raw material.
There are these types of plastic:
Thermoplastics
- Polyethylen (PE)
- Polypropylen (PP)
- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
- Polystyrene (PS)
- Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
- Polyamide (PA)
Thermosets
- polyurethane foam (PU)
- epoxy resins
- silicone resins
Elastomers
- silicone elastomers
- polyurethane
plastic recycling:
In Germany, the recycling rate was 55% in 2019, making Germany a pioneer in European comparison. The remaining 45% is thermally recycled (waste incineration).
Plastics recycling symbols:
