PRODUCTION OF

FOAM USING
PLASTIC
SUPPORT
Submitted By : Hritik Lal
ID :2018A1PS0281G
POLYSTYRENE PRODUCTION PROCESS

Styrene Production From Ethyl Benzene

Polystyrene Production From Styrene Through Suspension Polymerization

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POLYSTYRENE FOAM PRODUCTION PROCESS

Polystyrene Foam Beads Obtained From

Polystyrene

Apparatus Used For Production Of Polystyrene Foam Beads

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POLYSTYRENE FOAM PRODUCTION PROCESS
• First, styrene is made by combining ethylene and benzene.
• Next, the styrene is Subjected to suspension polymerization and treated with a
polymerization initiator, which together convert it into polystyrene.
• Once a polymer chain of the desired length has formed, technicians stop the reaction
with terminating agents. The resulting polystyrene beads are then cleaned, and
anomalous beads of undesired shapes are filtered out.
• To make Polystyrene Foam, Workers then melt, add a blowing agent to, and extrude
the beads.
• Next they heat and expand them before allowing them to sit for 24 hours so that they
can cool and harden. The beads are then fed into a mold of the desired shape.

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HARMFUL EFFECTS OF POLYSTYRENE AND POLYSTYRENE FOAM

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ECO-FRIENFLY ALTERNATIVES TO POLYSTYRENE FOAM

• Researchers at Washington State University, US have recently developed an environmentally

friendly plant-based polystyrene foam.
• The team developed an environmentally-friendly process that used water as a solvent instead of
other harmful solvents. The foam was created using nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) which was
extracted from wood pulp.
• The new foam is a composite created from 75% nanocrystalline cellulose(NCC), along with
polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and 1,2,3,4–butane tetracarboxylic acid (BTCA).
• PVA is a non-toxic, water-soluble polymer that is used to increase the elasticity, and the BTCA is
used as a crosslinking agent to bond the NCC which is nanocrystalline cellulose and polyvinyl
alcohol (PVA)

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PROPERTIES OF THE NCC POLYSTYRENE FOAM
• The resulting foam is a good insulator as it has a uniform cellular structure and even surpasses
petroleum-based polystyrene foam as an insulator.
• It is lightweight but also has good mechanical strength, and the sample could withstand a load
200 times its weight without any shape distortion.
• It also has good excellent fire resistance as compared to the traditional Polystyrene Foam.

NCC Polystyrene Foam

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ECO-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVES TO POLYSTYRENE FOAM

• PLA Plastic Foams

• PLA Plastic Foams are made up of PLA (polylactic acid) plastic is a thermoplastic
typically made from the sugars in corn, cassava, or sugarcane. The FDA recognizes it
as a food safe packaging material.
• It is typically used to create eco-friendly containers and cups for food and beverages,
and it is also used as a liner in paper hot cups and containers to keep the paper from
getting soggy.

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ECO-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVES TO POLYSTYRENE FOAM

• Sugarcane/Bagasse Foams
• Sugarcane / bagasse foam is a plant-based, tree-free, renewable material made from
the waste of sugarcane plants leftover after the sugar has been extracted. This fibrous,
pulpy material is used to create durable containers that are not only environmentally
friendly but also requires much less energy to produce than polystyrene foams

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