Polystyrene (PS) – Overview

Polystyrene is hard, and usually is in form of solid where it is commonly used as a

packing material. Polystyrene is a synthetic polymer made from monomer styrene. Large
numbers of monomers combined to form polymer in a process called polymerization. Styrene is
obtained by reacting ethylene with benzene in the presence of aluminum chloride to yield
ethylbenzene. The benzene group in this compound is then dehydrogenated to yield
phenylethylene, or styrene, where the chemical structure is CH2-CH-C6H5.

Figure 1: Styrene chemical structure

Polystyrene is the most widely used plastics in industry, where it is widely used as rigid
trays and containers to contain food. Polystyrene is naturally transparent, but can be colored
using colorants. Polystyrene is classified in thermoplastic and thermoset category, depending on
its type.

There are two types of plastic:

 Thermoplastic – A plastic that can be remelted back into liquid after it reaches its melting
point.
 Thermoset – In comparison to thermoplastic, thermoset material cannot reliquify once
they are in solid form, meaning that it always remain permanently in solid state.

Polystyrene is most uniquely for its application in foam (Rogers, 2018). Also, there are two types
of polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene (XPS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS).

Advantages of Polystyrene

 Polystyrene is chemically very inert, being resistant to acids and bases, meaning that it is
safe for use in contact with food. Polystyrene commonly manufactured as a food
container, disposable eating utensils, and foamed cup, and since polystyrene is inert, it is
also safe to use it as a food packaging.
 Polystyrene has moderate insulating capability, where it can keeps food fresh longer and
costs less than alternatives. It can also holds foods with hot temperature, such as hot
coffee or hot tea.
 It is moisture-resistant, where it can helps in delaying or retarding the growth of
microorganisms in food that will further damage the food.
 It absorb shocks well (has high shock absorbency characteristics, where it is usually used
to handle fragile items such as foods that were stored in glass (e.g. wine, pickles, jams,
and honey)
Disadvantages of Polystyrene:

 Slow to biodegrade, generally polystyrene is non-biodegradable. Discarded polystyrene

usually lasts for hundreds of years, which is harmful to environment.
 Polystyrene is very inert meaning that it doesn’t react particularly well with either acidic
or basic solutions. This characteristic causes polystyrene to last a long time in the natural
environment which poses a litter hazard as the material is typically thrown away after an
extremely short useful lifespan.
 Easily flammable.
REFERENCES

 ChemicalSafetyFacts.org. (n.d.). What is Polystyrene? | Uses, Benefits, and Safety Facts. [online]
Available at: https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/polystyrene-post/ [Accessed 12 Apr. 2018].
 Hotwire Systems. (2018). What is polystyrene foam? | Different uses of polystyrene -. [online]
Available at: http://www.hotwiresystems.com/what-is-polystyrene-eps-xps-different-uses-of-
polystyrene/ [Accessed 12 Apr. 2018].
 Modor Plastics. (n.d.). Thermoset vs. Thermoplastics - Modor Plastics. [online] Available at:
http://www.modorplastics.com/plastics-learning-center/thermoset-vs-thermoplastics/ [Accessed
12 Apr. 2018].
 Rogers, T. (2018). Everything You Need To Know About Polystyrene (PS). [online]
Creativemechanisms.com. Available at: https://www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/polystyrene-
ps-plastic [Accessed 12 Apr. 2018].
 Anon, (n.d.). Pros and Cons of Polystyrene. [online] Available at:
https://polystyrenescience812013.weebly.com/pros-and-cons-of-polystyrene.html [Accessed 12
Apr. 2018].
 Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d.). Polystyrene | chemical compound. [online] Available at:
https://www.britannica.com/science/polystyrene [Accessed 12 Apr. 2018].
 Plastic Food Service Facts. (n.d.). FDA: Safety of Polystyrene Foodservice Packaging - Plastic
Food Service Facts. [online] Available at: https://www.plasticfoodservicefacts.com/foodservice-
safety/fda-safety-of-polystyrene-foodservice-products/ [Accessed 12 Apr. 2018].