Synthetic Fibres and Plastics

Plastic is polymers like synthetic fibres, it is non-eco- friendly as it takes several years to decompose, it causes environmental pollution. When it burns it releases lot of poisonous fumes, into the atmosphere causing air pollution. We should not throw polybags in the water bodies or on the road because animals like cow while eating garbage waste food items swallow the polythene bags and food wrappers, the plastic materials chokes the respiratory system of these animals and form a lining in their stomachs and may cause death of these animals.The polybags carelessly thrown here and there are responsible for clogging the drains too. Thus we say we should minimise use of plastics for healthy environment by adopting following ways

• Avoid use of plastics as far as possible
• Use bags made from cotton or jute while going for shopping
• Try to recycle plastic wastes by returning them back to your grocery shop for recycling, and by using them as garbage bag liners.
• We can urge plastic manufacturers to develop biodegradable plastic.
• We can urge our legislators to ban plastic in children's toys and food and beverage containers.

Synthetic fibres are made by human beings by using various chemicals, it minimises the use of natural fibres whose source is plants, thus we can say increasing use of man- made fibres are playing very important role in conservation of forests.

Fibres made by human being or man- made fibres are called synthetic fibres

Following are the various types of synthetic fibres:

• Rayon: Nylon thread is very strong infact it is stronger than steel wire, because of this property of nylon it is used for making parachutes and ropes for rock climbing.
  Polyester fabrics do not get wrinkled easily and it remains crisp and can be washed easily than any other fabrics. Thus it is used to make dress, shirts etc. PET is one of the familiar form of polyester that is used to make bottles, utensils, wires and many other things
  Rayon is the only synthetic fibre obtained from a natural source that is wood pulp, that’s why it is different from other fibres.
• Nylon: The first fully synthetic fibre was nylon. It was prepared from coal, water and air. It is very strong, elastic and light, it is very easy to wash and used for making variety of things like socks, ropes, bags, curtains, parachutes etc.

Nylon thread is very strong infact it is stronger than steel wire, because of this property of nylon it is used for making parachutes and ropes for rock climbing.
• Polyester:Polyester fabrics do not get wrinkled easily and it remains crisp and can be washed easily than any other fabrics. Thus it is used to make dress, shirts etc. PET is one of the familiar form of polyester that is used to make bottles, utensils, wires and many other things
  Terylene and PET are two widely used polyester fabrics. Terylene is used to make very fine yarn by which various dress materials are made. PET is one of the familiar form of polyester that is used to make bottles, utensils, wires and many other things
• Acrylic: Acrylic fabric resembles wool, it is cheaper than wool and available is variety of colours. It is also more durable than wools

Synthetic fibres are

• Less expensive than natural fibres
• Strong and long lasting
• Easily available
• Easy to maintain
• Dry up quickly

Plastics are

• Light weighted
• Cheaper than metals
• Strong and long lasting
• Easy to handle
• Non-reactive: they do not react with water or air, and do not get corroded easily
• Plastics can be moulded into different shapes and sizes
• They are easily mouldable and can be shaped in any form to make different articles.
• They are poor conductors of heat and electricity.
• Thus they are used on large scale in industries and for making household articles.

Following examples show that plastics are non-corrosive in nature

1. They are used to store chemicals in laboratories as they don’t react with chemicals or other items in the laboratory.
2. Plastic does not decompose even when left in the open for a long period.
3. Plastic does not react even with air and water and so it dies not get rusted.
4. They are used to store all types of food, as plastic does not react to materials stored in it.

Characteristics of natural fibres:
These fibers have higher tensile strength than other fibers. Therefore, these fibers are used for durable yarn, fabric, packaging, and paper. Some examples are flax, jute, kenaf, industrial hemp, ramie, rattan, soybean fiber, and even vine fibers and banana fibers.