A brief history of plastic

Prevodilac: Milica Ilic Lektor: Ivana Korom

Today, plastics are everywhere.

Plastika je danas svuda.

All of this plastic originated from one small object—

Sva ova plastika potiče od jednog malog predmeta

that isn’t even made of plastic.

koji čak nije ni napravljen od plastike.

For centuries, billiard balls were made of ivory from elephant tusks.

Bilijarske kugle su vekovima pravljene od slonovače.

But when excessive hunting caused elephant populations to decline

Međutim, kada je prečest lov

doveo do pada populacije slonova u devetnaestom veku,

in the 19th century,

billiard balls makers began to look for alternatives, offering huge rewards.

proizvođači bilijarskih kugli počeli su da traže druge mogućnosti,

nudeći velike novčane nagrade.

So in 1863 an American named John Wesley Hyatt took up the challenge.

Godine 1863, Amerikanac po imenu Džon Vesli Hajat

prihvatio je izazov.

Over the next five years, he invented a new material called celluloid,

Tokom narednih pet godina,

izumeo je novi materijal po imenu celuloid,

made from cellulose, a compound found in wood and straw.

napravljen od celuloze, sastojka koji se nalazio u drvetu i slami.

Hyatt soon discovered celluloid couldn’t solve the billiard ball problem––

Hajat je ubrzo shvatio da celuloid

neće rešiti problem bilijarskih kugli

the material wasn’t heavy enough and didn’t bounce quite right.

jer materijal nije bio dovoljno težak i nije odskakao kako treba.

But it could be tinted and patterned

Međutim, mogao je da se boji i ukrašava

to mimic more expensive materials like coral,

da bi oponašao skuplje materijale:

koral, kornjačin oklop, ćilibar, sedef.

tortoiseshell, amber, and mother-of-pearl.

He had created what became known as the first plastic.

Napravio je prvu varijantu plastike.

The word ‘plastic’ can describe any material made of polymers,

Reč „plastika” odnosi se na bilo koji materijal

napravljen od polimera, tj. velikih molekula

which are just the large molecules consisting of the same repeating subunit.

koji se sastoje od istih podjedinica koje se ponavljaju.

This includes all human-made plastics,

Ovde spada sva plastika koju čovek pravi

as well as many of the materials found in living things.

kao i mnogi materijali koji se nalaze u živim bićima.

But in general, when people refer to plastics,

Ipak, kada kažu plastika,

they’re referring to synthetic materials.

ljudi uglavnom misle na sintetičke materijale.

The unifying feature of these is that they start out soft and malleable

Zajedničko im je to što su u početku mekani i savitljivi,

and can be molded into a particular shape.

i mogu se oblikovati.

Despite taking the prize as the first official plastic,

Uprkos tome što je zvanično bio prva plastika,

celluloid was highly flammable, which made production risky.

celuloid je bio vrlo zapaljiv, što je činilo proizvodnju rizičnom.

So inventors began to hunt for alternatives.

Pronalazači su zato počeli da traže alternative.

In 1907 a chemist combined phenol—

Godine 1907, jedan hemičar je kombinovao fenol,

a waste product of coal tar—

koji se dobija od katrana,

and formaldehyde, creating a hardy new polymer called bakelite.

i formaldehid,

stvorivši tako novi, čvrst polimer po imenu bakelit.

Bakelite was much less flammable than celluloid and the raw materials

Bakelit je bio znatno manje zapaljiv od celuloida,

a sirovi materijali od kojih se pravio bili su dostupniji.

used to make it were more readily available.

Bakelite was only the beginning.

Bakelit je bio samo početak.

In the 1920s, researchers first commercially developed polystyrene,

Dvadesetih godina prošlog veka istraživači su izumeli polistiren,

a spongy plastic used in insulation.

sunđerastu plastiku korišćenu za izolaciju.

Soon after came polyvinyl chloride, or vinyl, which was flexible yet hardy.

Ubrzo je stvoren polivinil hlorid, tj. vinil,

koji je bio savitljiv ali čvrst.

Acrylics created transparent,

Akrilom su napravljeni providni, otporni paneli,

shatter-proof panels that mimicked glass.

koji su oponašali staklo.

And in the 1930s nylon took centre stage—

Tridesetih godina prošlog veka postao je popularan najlon,

a polymer designed to mimic silk, but with many times its strength.

polimer dizajniran da oponaša svilu, ali mnogo jači.

Starting in 1933, polyethylene became one of the most versatile plastics,

Početkom 1933. godine, polietilen je postao

jedna od najfleksibilnijih vrsta plastike,

still used today to make everything from grocery bags, to shampoo bottles,

koja se i dan-danas koristi za kese, boce šampona,

to bulletproof vests.

pa i prsluke otporne na metke.

New manufacturing technologies accompanied this explosion of materials.

Nove proizvodne tehnologije pratile su stvaranje sve više materijala.

The invention of a technique called injection-moulding

Pronalazak kalupljenja

made it possible to insert melted plastics into molds of any shape,

omogućio je da se topljena plastika ubaci u kalupe različitih oblika

where they would rapidly harden.

gde bi oni brzo očvrsnuli.

This created possibilities for products in new varieties and shapes—

To je otvorilo mogućnosti za proizvode raznih vrsta i oblika,

and a way to inexpensively and rapidly produce plastics at scale.

ali i način da se plastika brzo i jeftino proizvodi naveliko.

Scientists hoped this economical new material

Naučnici su se nadali da će ovaj novi i ekonomičan materijal

would make items that once had been unaffordable accessible to more people.

omogućiti da predmeti koji su ranije bili nepristupačni

postanu dostupni ljudima.

Instead, plastics were pushed into service in World War Two.

Umesto toga plastika je korišćena

u Drugom svetskom ratu.

During the war, plastic production in the United States quadrupled.

Proizvodnja plastike u SAD-u

porasla je četiri puta tokom rata.

Vojnici su nosili kacige i vodootporne kišne mantile

Soldiers wore new plastic helmet liners and water-resistant vinyl raincoats.

od plastike.

Pilots sat in cockpits made of plexiglass, a shatterproof plastic,

Piloti su sedeli u kabinama

napravljenim od pleksiglasa, vrste otporne plastike,

and relied on parachutes made of resilient nylon.

i koristili padobrane od otpornog najlona.

Afterwards, plastic manufacturing companies

Nakon toga, proizvođači plastike, koji su iznikli tokom rata,

that had sprung up during wartime turned their attention to consumer products.

okrenuli su se ka potrošačkim dobrima.

Plastics began to replace other materials like wood, glass, and fabric

Plastika je počela da bude zamena za materijale

kao što su drvo, staklo, tkanina,

in furniture, clothing, shoes, televisions, and radios.

u nameštaju, odeći, obući, televiziji, radiju.

Versatile plastics opened up possibilities for packaging—

Fleksibilna plastika otvorila je mogućnosti za ambalaže,

mainly designed to keep food and other products fresh for longer.

napravljene da bi hrana i drugi priozvodi duže ostali sveži.

Suddenly, there were plastic garbage bags, stretchy plastic wrap,

Odjednom je bilo plastičnih kesa za đubre,

rastegljive plastične folije,

squeezable plastic bottles, takeaway cartons,

plastičnih boca, kartona za poneti,

and plastic containers for fruit, vegetables, and meat.

plastičnih posuda za voće, povrće, meso.

Within just a few decades, this multifaceted material

Kroz samo nekoliko decenija ovaj raznovrstan materijal

ushered in what became known as the “plastics century.”

započeo je takozvani „vek plastike".

While the plastics century brought convenience and cost-effectiveness,

Iako je doneo pogodnosti i ekonomsku isplativost,

it also created staggering environmental problems.

takođe je stvorio zapanjujuće ekološke probleme.

Many plastics are made of nonrenewable resources.

Puno plastike je napravljeno od neobnovljivih materijala.

And plastic packaging was designed to be single-use,

Plastične ambalaže namenjene su za jednokratnu upotrebu,

but some plastics take centuries to decompose,

a pojedinim vrstama plastike potrebni su vekovi da se razgrade,

creating a huge build up of waste.

što dovodi do gomilanja otpada.

This century we’ll have to concentrate our innovations on addressing those problems—

U ovom veku moraćemo biti inovativni u rešavanju ovih problema:

by reducing plastic use, developing biodegradable plastics,

tako što ćemo smanjiti upotrebu plastike, napraviti biorazgradivu plastiku

and finding new ways to recycle existing plastic.

i naći nove načine da se reciklira već postojeća plastika.