To crack the "original sin" of plastic pollution, petrochemical and plastic reduction is imperative!

National Geographic magazine released a thought-provoking cover in June 2018: a plastic bag floating on the sea, shaped like a giant glacier. It is only a small corner of the sea level, and there is still a large area hidden below the surface of the water.

The cover of this issue, created by Mexican artist Jorge Gamboa, implies that plastic pollution as we know it is only the tip of the iceberg, closely linked to the theme of the current issue, "plastic Planet". Once launched, it has sparked a heated discussion and is still regarded as a classic.

Three years later, our oceans are still struggling to devour growing plastic waste: the creatures that live in it have to coexist with it, be harmed by human waste products, and even alter genes and lifespan. According to incomplete statistics, marine plastic pollution alone kills millions of marine life every year, covering more than 700 species.

The environmental harm and pollution caused by plastic waste has been recognized by most people, but few people know the "original sin" behind plastic: its production is also accompanied by intractable pollution and waste of resources.

Little-known plastic "original sin"

According to the Industrial Classification of the National economy (GB/T 4754-2017), the plastic products industry refers to the production of all kinds of products with synthetic resin (polymer compounds) as the main raw materials, processed and molded by extrusion, injection molding, blow molding, Calendering, lamination and other processes, as well as the use of recycled waste plastics to process and reproduce plastic products (excluding the manufacture of plastic shoes). Most of the production and discharge links also occur in these processes.

Relevant research reports point out that plastic production accounts for 6% of the total oil consumption, and its production, consumption and disposal will have a certain environmental impact. The report "Research on the Real cost of PetroChina" released by the Natural Resources Defense Association in 2019 reveals that the harm of plastics to human health runs through the links of production, processing, consumption and disposal.

In the process of production and processing, the consumption of a large amount of oil brings serious air pollution problems, which endangers the respiratory, cardiovascular and reproductive systems of the human body, and significantly increases the risk of cancer. The refining and processing of plastics will release a large amount of CO, NOx, particulate matter and VOCs into the atmosphere, endanger the respiratory, cardiovascular and other systems of the human body, and increase the risk of cancer.

Some studies have also found that, in addition to carcinogenicity, VOCs (volatile organic compounds) such as toluene, styrene and alkanes can also lead to inhibition of central nervous system function, impaired reproductive function and growth retardation in children. Compared with ordinary community residents, workers in the petrochemical industry are exposed to high concentrations of carcinogens and endocrine disruptors for longer, so they are more likely to develop tumors and reproductive dysfunction.

A large petrochemical plant

In addition to air pollution, the report "Research on the Peak of China's Total Oil consumption and Control schemes" released by the Natural Resources Defense Association in 2019 highlighted the seriousness of water pollution in the petrochemical industry, including plastic production. Petrochemical industry consumes a lot of water resources, wastewater pollution is serious, and the composition of pollutants is complex, containing a variety of carcinogens and heavy metals, treatment difficulties, short-term pollution and long-term damage co-exist. The planning and construction of large-scale petrochemical projects in many places will not only increase the intensity of VOCs emission control, increase the difficulty of water supply and wastewater treatment, but also bring new risks such as ecological environment security.

Petroleum processing-related industries discharge a large amount of wastewater. According to the 2015 Annual report of China Environmental Statistics, the wastewater discharge from the chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing industry is 2.56 billion tons, accounting for 14.1% of the total industrial wastewater discharge. occupies the first place in the wastewater discharge of major industries.

In addition, a large number of hazardous solid wastes will be produced in the production process of petrochemical products, which need to be treated professionally and centrally. It often happens that hazardous wastes are buried in the ground, causing serious pollution of water, air and soil for a long time, threatening the daily life of residents.

The "clean plastic" of petrochemical industry Brooks no delay

Plastic, as the raw material of all kinds of products, has become an indispensable part of modern life, and its lightness has been widely praised. However, while enjoying the convenience, in the face of tens of thousands of tons of plastic waste dumped into the sea every year, we have to wonder, do we need so much plastic?

The answer is no.

What is even more unexpected is that the negative answer comes from the upstream industry of plastics: petrochemical.

The pollution caused by plastics in the production process and after being discarded has attracted the attention of the petrochemical industry. According to the forecast of the International Energy Agency (IEA), according to the current development trend, the global plastic production will reach 1.1 billion tons in 2050, consuming 20% of the world's oil and accounting for 15% of the world's total carbon emissions. At that time, about 2/3 of the crude oil in the petrochemical industry will be used to produce plastics.

In order to achieve the goal of "carbon neutralization", petrochemical end reduction is imperative. The Petrochemical Planning Institute-implementation report puts forward strong suggestions for the reduction of plastics in the petrochemical industry: the largest output of plastic packaging, the largest amount of garbage production, the largest proportion of waste production, and the shortest average life cycle. Directly ban plastic, reduce the total production of plastic packaging, is the due meaning of petrochemical reduction.

Related research predicts that by reducing the export of downstream petroleum products (plastics, rubber, etc.), increasing the recovery of waste plastics, and developing high-end chemical materials production technology and plastic recycling technology, it will greatly contribute to the realization of petrochemical clean plastic oil reduction target.

Recycling of waste plastics

Can plastic reduction and income growth coexist? related research predicts that by increasing the production of high-end products with larger imports and less crude oil consumption per unit product, including polyolefin varieties with high technology content and large domestic gap. Copolymerized polycarbonate, polyphenylene ether (PPO) resin, ABS resin, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) resin, special engineering plastics and special fibers, biodegradable resin and other key products developed during the 14th five-year Plan, the petrochemical industry can achieve plastic reduction, oil reduction and revenue growth in one.

In fact, we are already using high-end plastics in our lives. For example, polycarbonate materials can really show their toughness, dimensional stability and transparency in 5G and related applications, and have become the shell material choice for many intelligent hardware devices. Poly (phenylene oxide) (PPO) engineering plastics have excellent properties and are ideal engineering plastics for automobile lightweight, electronic thin-walled and halogenated-free.

According to the calculus, if the imports of polycarbonate, polyamide 66 and polyformaldehyde in 2018 (a total of 2.0