So while there are environmental concerns about petrochemical manufacturing of plastics, it doesn’t lead to a significant release of greenhouse gases that can cause climate change. For example, the plastic manufacturing is capturing the carbon in an inert form (the plastic) and not releasing it to the atmosphere. Petrochemicals are derived from hydrocarbons such as propane, ethane, butane, or other components separated from crude oil and natural gas liquids. Naphtha – a mixture of flammable liquid hydrocarbons – is also important in the production of products made from petrochemicals.
The use of plastics in modern life is extremely widespread, and most products we use today are either made entirely of plastics or have plastic components. These plastics are made by using a variety of petrochemicals and provide us with a variety of goods from single-use saran wrap to components of our cars. Although plastics are used extensively, there are concerns with the sheer volume of plastics being used and disposed of in particular. In addition to the volume of plastic waste, the fact that plastic doesn’t biodegrade is an issue.
