Can plastics technology be created without oil?

Oil is a cheap and convenient way to make plastics, but its not the only source of the long-chain organic carbon compounds that are used. read more

That both made plastics much easier to invent, and much easier to manufacture. In principle, pretty much any polymer can be made from other sources, but it would be a much more expensive process. The reason plastic is so common is because it's cheap and easy to produce. Without oil, neither of those things would be true. read more

a derivative of limonene called limonene oxide is made to react with carbon dioxide with the help of a catalyst to produce the carbon polymer polylimonene carbonate. the plastic created is very similar in form to polystyrene, which we see mainly used in packaging, e.g., the white styrofoam your monitor was slotted in when you took it out of the box. read more

However, oil is a finite resource, and predictions from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) are that the world supply of crude oil may begin to fail demand for it within a year, which is in accord with studies from both the U.S. and German military. read more

When our oil supplies run out, it won't just be fuel for our cars that dries up. Everything you own that's made of plastic has been made using the black gold and, until now, there's been no other way to create it. Fortunately, scientists can now produce plastic from plant matter, which could massively cut our dependency on oil. read more