Plastics 101 : The Origins of plastic
1. The Origins of plastic: Fossil fuel-based plastics are made from petroleum, natural gas, and coal. These plastics account for the majority of plastic products used today. 1-1. Monomers, the basic building block of plastic: The key ingredients derived from these fossil fuels are called monomers, such as ethylene and propylene. They are small molecules that can be linked together in long chains through a process called polymerization to form plastics ( polymers ) .
