The minute you listen to the word “silicone,” you think about a plastic product made of rubber, probably extracted out of oil. Let’s change some minds with a few tidbits, shall we? For starters, silicone is a natural element. It’s derived from erosion itself. The main component of silicone is a natural element called Silica which is made of Silicon dioxide. This molecule of oxide silicon bears the chemical name SiO2, and it’s the second most abundant component in the face of the earth. Silicon is present in every single rock you touch. Hell, it makes 30% of the mass of it.
Silicone Molding is a manufacturing technique that uses silicon dioxide with carbon and hydrogen to create a synthetic elastomer. In its finished form, silicone is one of the most durable elements on the face of the earth and incredibly ecofriendly. It can withstand hot or cold temperatures at the severe extremes of the spectrum. It can be used continually for years without breaking down or getting stained. We can sterilize it many times over. The only downside to it? It’s not biodegradable.
The Long-Running Effects of Silicone Against PVC
Silicone has something more going for it than regular PVC: it doesn’t release BPA toxins into the planet’s natural ecosystem. The possibility of having it recycled is 100% secure when compared to plastics. You can expose silicone to the most extreme temperatures, and unlike any variant of PVC, it will not release fumes or toxic vapors into the air. Silicone just melts and gets reshaped. You could fill a landfill with plastics and another with silicone and burn them to the ground, and the differences would be staggering.
Where do They Get More Silicone These Days?
Most of the products created using silicone molding use recycled resins since there is so much material in circulation. There is a whole industry in motion getting disposed silicone from developed countries to factories in China and other Asian nations that keep their factories running with silicone-based products’ ongoing creation. Since technology has made plenty of advances in the time these industries have grown, we get to see how far they have reached achievements. Silicone is present in some form in most of the technology we use every day.
What do They do With the Recycled Silicone
The recycled silicone used for Silicone Molding is also known as PDMS. It’s treated silicone and refined to dust using a series of heating procedures. This non-toxic, non-flammable component has a wide range of uses, such as creating light products for the sports industry, coolants, defamers, printing inks, printing filaments, and many more products. You could say that silicone is indeed a big deal for most of us, and it suits our well-being to be informed about its origins and everything it does for us.