“The Age of Plastic” was an album by 1980s British new wave group The Buggles.
More appropriately, it’s a term often used to describe the remarkable rise of this class of materials since the development of the first synthetic plastic, Bakelite, in 1907. We have achieved great results in a relatively short time. In just a few generations, the production, development and distribution of tens of thousands of grades of new lightweight, strong and flexible materials have made plastics an integral part of modern life.
Image Credit: Limited Understanding
But we also need to be aware of the scale and severity of plastic’s impact on the environment. Plastic production is tied to an oil-centric economic model that is a major contributor to climate change. Plastic pollution is ravaging our oceans, and marine life and vital ecosystems are already feeling the devastating consequences.
Simply innovating ways out of these problems is no longer possible. Fundamental political decisions need to be made about where society invests. It also requires a major upgrade of recycling infrastructure and a serious social commitment to reducing single-use plastic products and unnecessary packaging.
But while innovation is certainly not the “magic bullet” that can be deployed to solve the plastics challenge, research and development in the world of plastics must be part of the solution.
For example, we can increase the proportion of biopolymers derived from non-petrochemical sources and make better use of recycled materials in manufacturing.
In applications where disposal is unavoidable, harmful additives can be reduced and plastics can be made more biodegradable. Care can also be taken to make the plastic less susceptible to degradation in the application. Such efforts greatly extend the usable life.
Therefore, polymer science is important. This is a science that retains elements of “art”. This is because at the molecular level, polymers are composed of long chain molecules, often intertwined in more complex, organic arrangements than metals, ceramics, etc.
Understanding and precisely controlling characteristics can be difficult. Subtle changes in how polymers are blended, treated, and the additives used can make a big difference. Culinary terms such as “recipe” are often used in connection with polymer formulations.
This is where machine learning comes into play. A strong component of empirical research in polymer R&D requires significant investments in both experimentation and simulation to identify beneficial fine-tuning of formulation, chemistry, or process parameters.
Machine learning expert Intellegens is finding more and more polymer R&D organizations using its tools to more effectively mine the data built through this work.
Such organizations use machine learning to identify relationships in data and provide clues on how to change processes and materials. You can save time and money by identifying the most beneficial areas for your experimentation or simulation focus.
The relationships discovered by machine learning are incorporated into models that can be used to predict how changes in system inputs will affect outputs. These models may be used in the future to control polymer production. For example, changing process parameters in response to inevitable variations in incoming recycled material composition. The model also embodies important knowledge about the system (part of its “art”). This is a significant additional advantage in an industry where so much expertise is trapped in the minds of retiring or potentially retiring professionals.
hit songs from bugles The album was “Video Killed the Radio Star”. Let’s see the lyrics. Maybe Buggles foresaw something more positive for the real Age of Plastics.
This information has been compiled with reference to material provided by Intellegens Limited.
For more information on this source, please visit Intellegens Limited.
