PRODUCT SIZE
Ø10cm x 50m
GEOLOGICAL PERIOD
Carboniferous & Pemian
250 - 369 MYA
COMPOSITION
Polypropylene (from oil)
Polyethylene (from oil)
Ø10cm x 50m
GEOLOGICAL PERIOD
Carboniferous & Pemian
250 - 369 MYA
COMPOSITION
Polypropylene (from oil)
Polyethylene (from oil)
GEOLOGICAL BIO
The primary material used to make corrugated plastic tubes, polyethylene (PE), was first used in World War II to insulate radar cables. Since then, polyethylene, which is derived from oil, has become the most widely produced commodity plastic in the world, used in a variety of forms and applications from garbage bags to bulletproof vests.
In the process of irreversibly transforming fossils into ultra-high-molecular-weight thermoplastic, this lightweight petroleum product has been engineered to have tensile strength greater than steel, and is “highly recalcitrant” or resistant to decomposition in the ground. As inert plastic pipes continue to line the earth without any recourse for natural decay, they will eternally traverse geological time as microplastic fragments in the ground, sea, and bodies of animals.
EXTRACTION / MANUFACTURING PROCESS
Extract crude oil, natural gas, coal ︎︎︎ "Refine" crude oil by heating and distilling into monomers and fractions ︎︎︎ "Polymerize"monomers into hydrocarbon chains ︎︎︎ “Pelletize” mixtures ︎︎︎ combine high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pellets ︎︎︎ send pellets to extruder ︎︎︎ heat to 230 degrees celsius to form a slurry ︎︎︎ assemble corrugation mold ︎︎︎ fill with HDPE liquid, using vacuum liquid to spread to edges ︎︎︎ cool ︎︎︎ cold water shower hardens plastic completely ︎︎︎ perforate around the circumference of the pipe ︎︎︎ wrap with filter cloth and heat seal ︎︎︎ pack and ship
The primary material used to make corrugated plastic tubes, polyethylene (PE), was first used in World War II to insulate radar cables. Since then, polyethylene, which is derived from oil, has become the most widely produced commodity plastic in the world, used in a variety of forms and applications from garbage bags to bulletproof vests.
In the process of irreversibly transforming fossils into ultra-high-molecular-weight thermoplastic, this lightweight petroleum product has been engineered to have tensile strength greater than steel, and is “highly recalcitrant” or resistant to decomposition in the ground. As inert plastic pipes continue to line the earth without any recourse for natural decay, they will eternally traverse geological time as microplastic fragments in the ground, sea, and bodies of animals.
EXTRACTION / MANUFACTURING PROCESS
Extract crude oil, natural gas, coal ︎︎︎ "Refine" crude oil by heating and distilling into monomers and fractions ︎︎︎ "Polymerize"monomers into hydrocarbon chains ︎︎︎ “Pelletize” mixtures ︎︎︎ combine high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pellets ︎︎︎ send pellets to extruder ︎︎︎ heat to 230 degrees celsius to form a slurry ︎︎︎ assemble corrugation mold ︎︎︎ fill with HDPE liquid, using vacuum liquid to spread to edges ︎︎︎ cool ︎︎︎ cold water shower hardens plastic completely ︎︎︎ perforate around the circumference of the pipe ︎︎︎ wrap with filter cloth and heat seal ︎︎︎ pack and ship