Vol 2 _1_ - Cont. J Water, Air and Soil Pollution - Wilolud Journals

Ukpong, E. C and Peter, Chamberlain M Continental J. Water, Air and Soil Pollution 2 (1): 31 – 41, 2011This work will help to assess the levels of pollution caused by polythene waste which produces poisonous gas tothe environment (land, water and air) when burnt, for example carbon monoxide (Co) is introduced into theatmosphere as a result of polythene burning. It will also see polythene waste not only as a pollutant but also as araw material for the production of plastic and insulation cable for electrical equipments and vehicle parts.Polythene materials are those materials made from a chemical compound known as polyethylene (C-H) n and ismanufactured from the polymerization of ethylene (C-H) as represented in Figure 1. Basically, polyethylene isan odorless, translucent solid, commercially available in pellet form which is convertible to derivative productssuch as the polythene bags. Pep is stable and inert polymers, exhibiting very high resistance to chemical attack.HHHHFigure 1: Polyethylene structurePOLLUTION CAUSED BY POLYTHENE WASTEEnvironmental pollution created by polythene includes soil, water and air contamination and blocking of drainsand sewage lines in and around cities. Since polythene is non-degradable, it remains intact in water and soil formany years; and are not productive to the soil as reported by Aziegbe (2007) and federal environmentalprotection agency (FEPA) (1998) and Luwig (1990) and Ibanga (2000) Sharma and Kanwar 2007). Adverseeffects on livestock have also been reported (Mohammed and Muhammed 2007). Open burning of refuse dumpsin developing countries is a common practice (Izugbara and Umoh 2004). It has been realized that if burnedpolythene products, it produce harmful toxins which can threaten air quality (UNEP 2002; Sharma and Kanwar2007). Some of the toxic substances release include pops such as hazardous dioxins (UNEP 2002) otherthermal/oxidative degradation products of the polythene in controlled condition have been studied and consistsof chemical that are harmful to human health and area of environmental concern (Sojak etal, 2006).The environmental pollutants are those materials that cause pollution to our environment, which may beclassified as air, water or land pollutants which polythene belong. These pollutants may be degradable or nondegradableand can be found in drainages. They introduce contaminants into the environment that causesinstability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem. They also cause delayed flowering in plants, sciencedaily .CLASSIFICATION OF POLYTHENEPolythene material is classified into several different categories based mostly on its density and branching. Themechanical properties of polythene depend significantly on variables such as the extent and type of branching,the crystal structure and the molecular weight, with regard to solid volumes, the most important polythenegrades are HDPE, LLDPE and LDPE (Wikipedia, 2009).The surface of the earth where man spends his entire life has undergone drastic changes arising from main’sintervention in many natural processes. Polythene waste is the unwanted discarded over used polythene productsand they remain as waste in the environment. They constitute the acids, chemicals, oils and grease, total32