A brief history of plastic

翻译人员: tina ti 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

Today, plastics are everywhere.

如今，塑料无处不在。

All of this plastic originated from one small object—

这些塑料都源于一个小物体——

that isn’t even made of plastic.

一个甚至都不是由塑料组成的物体。

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

几个世纪以来， 台球都是由象牙制成的。

But when excessive hunting caused elephant populations to decline

但在 19 世纪，

当过度捕杀导致大象数量减少，

in the 19th century,

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

台球制作者开始重赏求材， 寻找新的替代物。

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

于是在 1863 年，一位美国人

名为约翰 · 卫斯理 · 凯悦 （John Wesley Hyatt）接受了挑战。

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

随后五年里，他发明了 一种新的材料叫赛璐珞，

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

由纤维素制成，

一种存在于木头和稻草中的化合物 。

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

凯悦很快就发现赛璐珞 不能解决台球的问题——

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

其材质并不够重， 球弹跳得也不太对。

But it could be tinted and patterned

但赛璐珞可以上色和印图案，

to mimic more expensive materials like coral,

去模仿更加昂贵的材料，比如珊瑚，

tortoiseshell, amber, and mother-of-pearl.

玳瑁壳，琥珀和珍珠母。

He had created what became known as the first plastic.

他制造了我们所知道的塑料。

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

“塑料”一词用来形容 由聚合物制成的任何材质，

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

即由重复的亚基组成的大分子。

This includes all human-made plastics,

这包含了所有人造的塑料，

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

以及很多生物中发现的物质。

But in general, when people refer to plastics,

但通常，当大家提及塑料，

they’re referring to synthetic materials.

他们指的是合成材料。

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

这些材料的共性就是 起初柔软且可塑性高，

and can be molded into a particular shape.

可以塑造成特定的形状。

Despite taking the prize as the first official plastic,

除了赛璐珞赢得了 第一个正式的塑料荣誉，

celluloid was highly flammable, which made production risky.

赛璐珞是高度易燃品， 这给生产过程带来风险，

So inventors began to hunt for alternatives.

所以发明者开始去寻找替代品。

In 1907 a chemist combined phenol—

在 1907 年，一个化学家结合石碳酸，

a waste product of coal tar—

——一种煤焦油的产物——

and formaldehyde, creating a hardy new polymer called bakelite.

与甲醛，创造出一种 坚固的新型化合物叫酚醛树脂。

Bakelite was much less flammable than celluloid and the raw materials

相比赛璐珞，酚醛树脂不太易燃，

used to make it were more readily available.

以及组成酚醛树脂的原材料更容易得到。

Bakelite was only the beginning.

酚醛树脂仅仅只是开始。

In the 1920s, researchers first commercially developed polystyrene,

20 年代，研究者首次 开发商业的聚苯乙烯，

a spongy plastic used in insulation.

一种用于隔热的海绵似的的塑料。

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

不久后，灵活且坚硬的 聚氯乙烯或乙烯基诞生了。

Acrylics created transparent,

丙烯酸创造了透明、 抗震板，仿似玻璃。

shatter-proof panels that mimicked glass.

And in the 1930s nylon took centre stage—

而在 1930 年尼龙成为了新焦点——

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

一种模仿绸缎丝绸而设计的， 却倍加坚韧的聚合物。

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

自从 1933 年，聚乙烯 成为了最多功能的塑料之一，

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

至今，许多东西仍然用它制成， 从购物袋，到洗发液的瓶子，

to bulletproof vests.

还有防弹背心。

New manufacturing technologies accompanied this explosion of materials.

新的制造技术伴随着材料的兴起。

The invention of a technique called injection-moulding

有个叫做注塑成型的技术创新，

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

它可以在任何形状的 模具里面注入融化的塑料，

where they would rapidly harden.

然后迅速成形。

This created possibilities for products in new varieties and shapes—

这技术可以生产出 各种各样形状的产品，

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

这也成为廉价、快速， 大批量生产塑料的方式。

Scientists hoped this economical new material

科学家们希望这种经济实惠的新材料

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

所制造出的产品，能让原本 高价的产品供更多人使用。

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

然而，塑料运用在二战期间。

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

在战争期间， 美国的塑料生产量翻了四倍。

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

士兵们戴着新的塑料头盔衬垫 以及防水的乙烯基雨衣。

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

飞行员坐在由树脂玻璃—— 一种防碎的塑料——制成的驾驶舱，

and relied on parachutes made of resilient nylon.

并依靠着由弹性的 尼龙制成的降落伞。

Afterwards, plastic manufacturing companies

此后，从战争时期崛起的塑料制造商

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

把重心转移到消费品。

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

塑料开始取代其他的材料，

比如木材，玻璃和布料等用来

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

制造家具，衣服，鞋子，电视和收音机。

Versatile plastics opened up possibilities for packaging—

多功能的塑料为包装业带来新的可能，

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

主要用于延长食品和其他产品保质期。

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

突然间，出现了 塑料垃圾袋，弹性保鲜膜，

squeezable plastic bottles, takeaway cartons,

可挤压的塑料瓶，外卖盒，

and plastic containers for fruit, vegetables, and meat.

装水果，蔬菜和肉的塑料盒。

Within just a few decades, this multifaceted material

就在这短短的几十年， 这个多功能的材料

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

迎来了大家所熟知的 “塑料世纪”。

While the plastics century brought convenience and cost-effectiveness,

尽管塑料世纪带来了 便利以及经济实惠，

it also created staggering environmental problems.

它也造成了巨大的环境问题。

Many plastics are made of nonrenewable resources.

很多塑料是由不可再生 资源所制成的。

And plastic packaging was designed to be single-use,

我们将塑料包装设计成一次性产品。

but some plastics take centuries to decompose,

但是，一些塑料甚至 要花好几世纪才能降解，

creating a huge build up of waste.

这导致了很多的废物堆积。

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

这个世纪， 我们得注重创新的解决办法，

by reducing plastic use, developing biodegradable plastics,

通过减少塑料使用， 发展可生物降解的塑料，

and finding new ways to recycle existing plastic.

并寻求新方式来回收现有的塑料。