It's not just about plastic......

Hey guys, today I am going to be talking about materials. In recent news; mostly due to Blue Planet 2 which exposed how big the problem of plastic really is; plastic has been thrown into the public eye in a big way. Don't get me wrong, it is brilliant that awareness is happening around plastic, but there are a lot of other materials that are very damaging to the environment that are not known about as much. Some of these materials you might consider to be great alternatives to plastic, are actually just as damaging!

This blog post is a little different, it has taken a lot more research so I have included the list of sources that I used at the bottom. I have researched four different materials to compare their environmental impact. Hope this shows you a little bit about the manufacture and use of materials. I am not an expert on this subject, so if I have anything wrong please correct me.

Aluminium

Raw Material:               Brauxite, a common resource found       underground in certain areas.

Renewable?                  Non- renewable but very common.

Production process:         Brauxite is mined, crushed, dried and ground in special mills. The resulting thick paste is heated to remove silicones. It is then heated to 950 degrees and electric currents are passed through it to change the bonds.

Energy used to produce:     Uses high amounts of electricity to heat to 950 degrees C. Uses water and other resources in the process.

By Products:                Creates red sludge left over from Brauxite which is dumped back into mined areas, seeps into local water supplys adding toxins. Produces large amounts of greenhouse gasses including perfluorocarbons which are worse than carbon.

Uses:                       Cans, foil, vehicles, aeroplanes, building materials, Lightbulb fittings, Dishwashers and many chemicals such as deodorant, polishing compounds and laundry detergent.

Are habitats destroyed?     Yes

Good aspects:               Does not rust. Hard wearing. Can be used for many different things.

Reusable?                   Yes, can be repurposed in certain forms such as cans.

Recyclable?                 Yes, Can be infinitely recycled using a small amount of energy. Lots of aluminium still ends up in landfill, when incinerated this sends more chemicals into the atmosphere.

Summary                     Very High impact. Though recyclable Aluminium takes a great amount of energy to make, it puts multiple greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, destroys habitats and toxifies local water sources and air.

Glass

Raw Material:               Sand and other additions.

Renewable?                  Non -renewable, recent studies suggest the world is running out of sand!

Production process:         Typically, Sand is mixed with waste glass from cycling collections, soda ash, limestone and heated in a furnace. The soda reduces the melting point, which reduces energy usage but limestone is added to combat the soda. As without the limestone the glass produced dissolves in water.

Energy used to produce:     Uses a lot of energy as it is heated up to 15,000 degrees C.

By Products:                Large amounts of greenhouse gasses.

Uses:                       Drinking glasses, windows, Tanks, bottles, mirrors, vehicles.

Are habitats destroyed?     No

Good aspects:               Used for solar panels which produce clean renewable energy. Can be recycled multiple times, New glass uses old recycled glass (can be  over 45% recycled glass). Some use 100%.

Reusable?                   Yes, lasts a long time. Cleanable, non reactive so does not rust etc. Has multiple essential uses.

Recyclable?                 Yes, can be recycled infinitely. Some glass still ends up in landfill, however is one of the most recycled and reused materials out there.

Summary                     High impact. A very important material, used for solar panels and windows are essential. Initial production uses a lot of energy and produces a lot of greenhouse gasses but has a very efficient recycling process already established.

Wood

Raw Material:               Trees

Renewable?                  Yes, they are renewable as they can be easily grown again. However it takes longer to grow back the trees compared with the rate we are harvesting them.

Production process:         Trees are cut down, and all parts of the tree are used to make many different products.

Energy used to produce:     Energy used to run machines to cut down the trees, but this is fairly low energy.

By Products:                Though there are no by-products as every part of the tree is used. By taking trees out of the environment you are effectively putting CO2 into the environment, as they take it in for photosynthesis.

Uses:                       Trees are actually used for masses of products. Furniture, Laminate flooring, Latex gloves, paper, cardboard and many other things.

Are habitats destroyed?     Yes.

Good aspects:               Very versatile, lots of uses. Biodegradable, lots of products produced by wood are recycled. All parts of the tree are used for something. Renewable resource.

Reusable?                   Yes, wooden furniture for example is very long lasting. However cardboard packaging is often one use and then recycled or thrown into landfill.

Recyclable?                 Most products produced by wood are recyclable such as paper and cardboard.
Paper and cardboard can be recycled up to 9 times, though it is not 100% efficient and lots of it still goes into landfill.

Summary                    Medium impact. Though mostly recyclable and biodegradable, deforestation is a huge environmental problem. It adds a lot of CO2 to the air. Though most parts of the manufacture are very efficient, a lot still ends up in landfill eventually. However supporting tree planting programs is a good way to combat this.

Cotton

Raw Material:             A natural fibre grown by plants

Renewable?                Yes, they grow quickly.

Production process:       Harvested, often by machines, from the plants. The lint (cotton fibres) are separated from the seeds then spun into yarn. The yarn is then woven by machines into fabric.

Energy used to produce:   Energy used for weaving and harvesting processes.

By Products:              Pesticides used for the growing of Cotton have seeped into local water supplies and are very damaging.

Lots of chemicals are used to treat fabric and clothes such as bleach.

Uses:                     Clothing, Fabrication (curtains and furniture), Book binding

Are habitats destroyed?   Yes, due to creating space for the cotton crops.

Good aspects:             Long lasting, are often passed on through charity shops to other people. Are recycled when they cannot be passed on any more.

Reusable?                 Yes, Easily washable. Very durable so can be reused many times over.

Recyclable?               Yes, when cotton clothes, blankets or curtains are no longer in a condition to be used they can be recycled. However most councils do not take these from your bins - some people will just throw them away instead of taking them to their local recycling clothes bin.

Summary                  Medium impact - Uses lots and lots of water to grow cotton plants. Energy used to harvest and weave into fabric however very reusable and recyclable.


If you managed to read all of that you have my respect!! I am not pretending to be an expert here, but this is a brief summary of four commonly used materials. In order to get a true picture of their impact you must look at every part of the process and every by product or chemical used. I have included a list of sources that I used if you are interested in more reading on these subjects. I hope that you found this an interesting and eye opening read.

Here is a picture of a squirrel to cheer you up slightly!! Thank you kindly for reading :)

Squirrel in trees, take by me on film camera.


Sources: 

Aluminium:
https://recyclenation.com/2010/11/aluminum-extraction-recycling-environment/
https://aluminiumleader.com/production/aluminum_production/

Glass: 
https://www.explainthatstuff.com/glass.html
https://www.treehugger.com/culture/ecotip-glass-whats-the-environmental-impact.html

Trees:
https://www.asiaplywoodcompany.com/Environmental%20Sustainability%20Concerns%20in%20Wood.pdf
https://www.reference.com/business-finance/wood-made-trees-587b6b1f940e498b
https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/7-products-you-didn-t-know-come-from-trees
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/cardboard-recycling.php

Cotton: 
https://www.reference.com/beauty-fashion/cotton-made-fabric-36d339098e037173
https://cottonaustralia.com.au/australian-cotton/basics/how-is-it-grown
http://www.theworldcounts.com/counters/cotton_environmental_impacts/environmental_issues_with_cotton









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