The Age of Plastics

The waiter slams down the restaurant’s lunch special: five crisp dosas filled with spicy potatoes and coconut chutney. On his heels, the “pani-wallah” begins sloshing water into metal cups to our cries of, “Bottled pani only, please!” It’s not that we can’t drink tap water, but, as engineers at the Jamnagar Refinery and Plant, the plastic water bottle is one of the products we are most proud of.

And, to think, this design masterpiece is a natural resource that comes straight from the ground. Well, almost. Let me back up. I’m Safiya, a chemical engineer. My job involves refining crude oil into Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). Crude oil is mined from the earth and was formed from the fossilized remains of plants, algae, and other organic matter over millions of years. Exposed to intense heat and pressure from the earth’s core, this matter metamorphosed into crude oil and other carbon-rich substances.

Before the invention of synthetic plastic, many of the things that we use today were made from animals. Piano keys and billiard balls were molded from the tusks of Sri Lankan elephants, the shells of tortoises and turtles were steamed and carved into decorative hair combs, and pink coral was harvested for jewelry. These materials were rare, expensive and caused animals to become endangered or extinct.

The dwindling supply of elephants and ivory inspired billiards champion Michael Phelan to sponsor a contest for the invention of an alternative material. In 1865, John Wesley Hyatt won Phelan’s contest, when he invented celluloid, a plastic made by mixing wood pulp and sulfuric acid. Celluloid was durable and cheap, and it could be molded into any shape. Suddenly, everyone could afford celluloid toys, hair combs, or dentures. In the race to innovate, engineers invented synthetic plastics for every industry from food and art, to film and fashion. In 1907, Leo Baekland invented Bakelite, a plastic that could be infused with any color. Coco Chanel loved Bakelite so much that she used it to adorn her clothes, handbags, and jewelry.

Plastic soon became abundant. It was light, cheap, unbreakable, and had many applications, including beverage packaging. In 1938, Enoch Ferngren and William Kopitke developed a blow-molding process for plastic that mimicked glass-blowing methods. This new technique led to the birth of the plastic bottle, which became the preferred container for milk, water, and other uncarbonated drinks. Because carbonated beverages would burst the seams of plastic bottles, they continued to be sold in glass bottles, that is, until 1973. That’s when Nathaniel Wyeth discovered a way to refine petroleum into Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). PET’s stretchiness and lightweight nature made it the ideal material for all beverages, including those with carbonation.

Back at the restaurant, the waiter clears away our plates, but we keep our empty bottles to reuse them. Priya, our design engineer, examines her bottle, remarking on the many factors that contribute to its design. Using the Engineering Design Process, she and Pinky, our materials engineer, work on improving the design of the plastic bottle everyday. Their current design has 14 rings that allow it to be crushed into a flat disc for recycling and has undergone hundreds of stress tests to ensure durability. Testing durability involves scrutinizing PET’s chemical bonds to ensure none of it leaches into the water.

Outside the restaurant, I hop onto the back of Maya’s scooter. I’m barely on before she zips into traffic. Maya is an industrial engineer. On the factory floor, with Priya and Pinky’s designs as her guide, Maya and a team of plastics engineers oversee the metamorphosis of PET pellets into bottles. First, the small white pellets are liquified in searing hot ovens and molded into pre-forms, which look like tiny, uninflated balloons. These pre-forms are then clamped onto steel bottle molds and inflated. The bottles are finally cleaned, labeled, and capped.

Every year, over eight hundred billion pounds of plastic products are manufactured around the world. Most plastic bottles are reused or recycled only twice before they end up in a landfill, or worse, the ocean. Engineering is not just about solving today’s problems, but also about ensuring a sustainable tomorrow. Aanya, our environmental engineer, challenges us to consider each bottle’s ecological footprint. Her initiatives in recycling and exploring biodegradable alternatives are part of our commitment as engineers to preserve as well as to create.

As engineers, we have begun designing solutions for the complex problem of plastic waste. We have developed a simple machine that chips plastic bottles into tiny pieces which can be used as filament in a 3D printer. Our new machine will help women in villages across India recycle plastic bottles into filament which they can use in 3D printers to make plates, cups, and other products to sell. Our machine incentivizes recycling and allows more women in villages across India to become economically independent.

Plastic has transformed our lives and brought unintended consequences. As well as making our lives more convenient, it also poses a threat to our environment. As engineers, we have embraced the challenge of balancing functionality with environmental responsibility. Our journey, like the plastic bottle itself, reflects this evolution. Initially driven by creating a durable and convenient option, we’ve begun considering the plastic bottle’s entire life cycle from design to disposal. The future we envision as engineers is one where innovation serves not just progress, but also the well-being of our planet and its people.