When an early form of plastic was discovered in 1869, it was hailed as an environmental breakthrough: a cellulose-based material that would save elephants and turtles from the lethal use of their tusks and shells in the production of ivory billiard balls and tortoiseshell hair ornaments.
Today, plastic products tossed by the millions have become an environmental hazard. A research consortium including Los Alamos National Laboratory is aiming to solve the plastic problem.
While natural polymers like cellulose abound in nature, synthetic â or human-made â polymers are often derived from oil and gas products.
And there are thousands of possible variations of these long chains of molecules. Plexiglas, vinyl and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipes are examples of materials made from polymer chains.