Peak oil and plastics

[Tigers!]

There is a lot of discussion at present about oil and renewable energy (if only we could harness all the hot air and heat generated by this discussion :D).

One topic I have heard nothing about (in my limited purview) is discussion about the link between oil and plastics. The majority of plastic production appears to come from fossil fuels and almost entirely oil. With the dependence we have these days on plastics how will we continue to make the vast amounts of plastics we require as oil decreases?
While renewable energy is well and good it cannot take oil's place in the production of plastics. Will we eventually get to the stage when we need to decide whether the oil left is devoted to transport or plastic production?
We could probably replace a significant proprtional of plastics with say, metal (at the cost of increasing weight and production energy) there are limits.
Imagine our Blackberries, mobiles & Laptops if they were made of metal!

Comments?

[Yggdrasill]

We'll start producing plastics from various other sources.

The worlds most popular plastic is polyethylene, which can fairly easily be produced from ethanol, i.e. alcohol. Another popular plastic, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can be produced from ethanol and chlorine gas.

I'm sure it's also possible to produce plastic from biodiesel, by cracking the hydrocarbon chains, which may be more efficient than using alcohol, but I'm not sure. I think it is at least a lengthier process than the current method of cracking natural gas and light petrolium liquids.

[Ezkerraldean]

i'd imagine you could make plastic from any organic material, if you knew what you were doing.

[bleubird]

AAAH,Recycle!





bleu

[jayh]

i'd imagine you could make plastic from any organic material, if you knew what you were doing.

well theoretically, you could make gasoline from any organic material too....

THere actually has been quite a bit of discussion of this, however the amount of petro used in plastic is dwarfed by the energy and farming uses, so we could get by on much less.

[youngalexander]

The majority of plastic production appears to come from fossil fuels and almost entirely oil. With the dependence we have these days on plastics how will we continue to make the vast amounts of plastics we require as oil decreases?
Comments?
Ya gotta be kidding? Long before we reach a shortage of oil for plastics, we shall have reached a shortage of oil ...
& that ain't long!:grin:

[bleubird]

The majority of plastic production appears to come from fossil fuels and almost entirely oil. With the dependence we have these days on plastics how will we continue to make the vast amounts of plastics we require as oil decreases?
Comments?
Ya gotta be kidding? Long before we reach a shortage of oil for plastics, we shall have reached a shortage of oil ...
& that ain't long!:grin:
Gee,did you not get the memo?
There is and endless supply of crude,only if the Luddites would just shut up,and get out of the WAY.
I would welcome a refinery in my suburb if it will continue the easy drive urban sprawl life I was promised.

bleu
insert proper face thangy

[HoverCraftWheel]

i'd imagine you could make plastic from any organic material, if you knew what you were doing.

From PEOPLE for example. Soylent Unleaded! Solve overpopulation at a (four) stroke. BWAHAHAHHAHA!!!!


Sorry, don't know what came over me there.

[crispy]

Maybe recycling oil based plastics will be a possibility :p