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Related Concept Videos

Plasticizers01:31

Plasticizers

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Water-reducers, or plasticizers, are chemical admixtures used in concrete to improve strength and workability. These additives reduce the water-cement ratio without compromising workability, lower the cement content while maintaining the same workability, or increase workability to assist concrete placement in inaccessible areas.
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Plastic deformation represents a fundamental concept in materials science, which explains the irreversible change in the shape of a material when it experiences stress beyond its elastic capability. This phenomenon is important in structural engineering, especially in designing and analyzing cantilever beams—structures that are securely fixed at one end and bear loads at the opposite end. When these beams are subjected to loads within their elastic range, they will return to their...
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It is essential to understand how structural members behave under plastic deformation when the bending stress exceeds the material's yield strength. This state of deformation permanently alters the shape of the member, in contrast to the linear elastic behavior observed before yielding. The strain at any point in the member is expressed in terms of maximum strain. Notably, the neutral axis, which coincides with the centroid during elastic bending, shifts away from the centroid under plastic...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 30, 2025

Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture
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Plastics in the Earth system.

Aron Stubbins1,2, Kara Lavender Law3, Samuel E Muñoz4

  • 1Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. aron.stubbins@northeastern.edu.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|July 2, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Plastics are a significant environmental pollutant, rivaling natural carbon in some ecosystems. Geochemists should analyze plastics as emergent geomaterials to understand their impact on Earth systems.

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Area of Science:

  • Geochemistry
  • Environmental Science
  • Earth System Science

Background:

  • Plastic contamination is a pervasive global issue.
  • The elemental composition of plastics, primarily carbon, is significant.
  • Existing environmental analyses often overlook plastics' geological impact.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose considering plastics as emergent geomaterials.
  • To highlight the need for incorporating plastics into geochemical analyses.
  • To explore the utility of plastics as tracers in Earth system science.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of plastic and carbon stocks and fluxes.
  • Geochemical assessment of plastics within ecosystems.
  • Utilizing plastics as global-scale tracers.

Main Results:

  • Plastic quantities in some ecosystems are comparable to natural organic carbon.
  • Plastics represent a novel chemical input into Earth's systems.
  • Plastics offer potential as indicators for Earth system processes.

Conclusions:

  • Plastics should be recognized and studied as geomaterials.
  • Geochemical approaches are crucial for understanding plastics in the Earth system.
  • Plastics can serve as valuable tracers for advancing Earth system science.