A PROPOSED PROCESS OF RECYCLED BEADS FOR EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE FOAM

초록

Synthetic styrene, i.e. polystyrene is widely used especially for EPS foam for various product packing. It is manufactured in the form of very small polystyrene beads with a weight-average molecular weight between 160,000 and 200,000 and contains 4 to 7% blowing agent, usually pentanes or butane [1]. EPS foam is actually 98% air. Once EPS foam has been used, its bulk becomes a serious problem. In the early 1990’s, the EPS foam manufacture and consumer in the United States faced a demand for recycled content packing. Recently, the environmental movement has subsided and there is less legislative threat. More emphasis has been focused on packing cost and performance than environmental attributes [2].