New, Question about sodium polyacrylate

[TheSmartMama]

Hi. I'm not a plastics person at all, but I have a question. Is sodium polyacrylate a plastic? Many environmentally friendly diaper companies contend that SAP is not a plastic, but it is a long chain polymer obtained through synthetic processing, so isn't it a plastic? Any help would be appreciated.

[greg]

Difference between plastic and polymer first. Others here can answer more scientifically than I but polymers are pure, neat 'plastics' as they come out of the polymerization reactors. Usually plastics are what you call polymers that have been blended with other additives or other polymers for specific property sets. Some people use the words interchangeably.

A polymer is a large molecule (macromolecule) composed of repeating structural units connected by covalent chemical bonds. Well-known examples of polymers include plastics, DNA and proteins.
Reference:
Life Chemistry.
http://life-chemistry.blogspot.com

Regarding dsp. diapers, they also contain cellulose, which is an organic natural fiber. It is not 'in' the SAP but rather simply next to it in the diaper.

Since SAP is polymerized it is considered to be a plastic, or a polymer, with polymer being slightly more accurate.

Lastly...

"A government report that found old-fashioned reusable nappies damage the environment more than disposables has been hushed up because ministers are embarrassed by its findings...

...The report found that while disposable nappies used over 2½ years would have a global warming , impact of 550kg of CO2 reusable nappies produced 570kg of CO2 on average. But if parents used tumble dryers and washed the reusable nappies at 90C, the impact could spiral to . 993kg of CO2 A Defra spokesman said the government was shelving plans for future research on nappies."

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