Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 4.3
Plastic resin production in different regions of the world.
Given the expected rapid growth in plastics as a material based on
extrapolating the curve in
Figure 4.1
,
can future shortage of raw materials
for plastic production be expected? Adjusting for population growth, the
global demand will likely rise to over 800 MMT by 2050. That would
amount to a significant fraction of the fossil fuel production, and using
oil as the feedstock will have to give way to alternatives such as coal and
natural gas available in good supply in the medium term. The use of natural
raw materials to synthesize plastics (bio-based plastics) is emerging, but
the technology needs to dramatically advance to meet the demand in a
practical timescale. Bio-based plastics will have an important role to play
