Polystyrene Foam Products can also be recycled

Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic aromatic polymer made from the monomer styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and rather brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It is a rather poor barrier to oxygen and water vapor and has a relatively low melting point. Polystyrene is one of the most widely used plastics, the scale of its production being several million tonnes per year. Polystyrene can be naturally transparent, but can be colored with colorants. Uses include protective packaging (such as packing peanuts and CD and DVD cases), containers (such as "clamshells"), lids, bottles, trays, tumblers, and disposable cutlery.

As a thermoplastic polymer, polystyrene is in a solid (glassy) state at room temperature but flows if heated above about 100 °C, its glass transition temperature. It becomes rigid again when cooled. This temperature behavior is exploited for extrusion (as in Styrofoam) and also for molding and vacuum forming, since it can be cast into molds with fine detail.

While polystyrene foam products have such a wide range of applications, which will inevitably produce large amounts of waste to affect the environment. Although now we vigorously promote the use of biodegradable plastics, but the widespread use of biodegradable plastics is not realistic, and biodegradable plastics also have many problems, such as uneven quality, poor heat resistance, incomplete degradation, the production process is still cause more pollution and other issues.

Therefore, from the practical point of view of saving resources and reducing pollution, the focus should be on the recycling of waste polystyrene foam products. We should find ways to get into Styrofoam recycling. 

The blowing agent market of extrusion board is broad

Blowing agent is the important material of the production of XPS board, especially the amount of blowing agent related to the performance of extruded board is good or bad. If the amount of blowing agent used in the XPS extruded plate is too low, the density of the resulting XPS extruded plate will not be reduced. If the amount of the blowing agent used is too high, the extruded plate product will be seriously affected the surface quality and performance. So, how to control the amount of blowing agent is a very important issue. On top of it, the xps raw material is polystyrene resin, which can be recycled through the EPS recycling. Moreover, the extruded board foaming agent market is extremely broad.

Nowadays, the development of thermal insulation board has a rapid momentum, especially thermal insulation XPS board, because of its excellent thermal insulation properties and excellent waterproof performance.

Now heat insulation XPS extruded board gradually began to use alternative technology production, but this alternative technology to produce insulation board in some performance indicators with the existing thermal insulation board material implementation standards conflict, so XPS insulation board replacement technology and indicators of the opposite issues received a great concern to the extruded board manufacturers.

The new XPS Extrusion Board industry standard should be adapted to the new material replacement technology for extruded boards and should shift the focus of competition from the price of extruded boards to the quality of extruded boards in order to prevent vicious competition among enterprises and improve XPS extrusion Board industry threshold, thus promoting the thermal insulation of extruded plate material healthy and healthy development.

Why is high density polystyrene foam board widely used in the construction field?

Polystyrene foam board is one of the three common wall insulation materials. With the continuous warming of the construction industry, high-density polystyrene foam board is widely used in the construction industry. Its wide range of applications  are inseparable with excellent performance.

Advantages:

1, the density polystyrene foam board coefficient is small, which has good impact resistance, have enough ability to change and restore the shape of the external impact of the buffer;

2, with independent bubble structure, a small area of damage will not affect the whole wall;

3, its surface water absorption is low, and with anti-permeability performance, which can effectively avoid the wall after the damp mold, shedding and other wall problems;

4, free from temperature. At high temperatures, polystyrene foam board will not melt due to the high temperature, low temperature will not cause the occurrence of brittle fracture;

5, polystyrene foam is recyclable materials, which can take such action as polystyrene recycling, the degree of recovery is the highest in the plastic;

6, the production process does not use freon;

7, the full life cycle of energy consumption in the lowest plastic products.

High-density polystyrene foam board with a fine closed-cell structural features, mainly for building walls, roof insulation, composite board insulation, in recent years, it has been more and more popular in the construction area.

Polystyrene Foam may Promote the Development of the Industry

The polystyrene are disposable, which can easily become the white pollution, so Styrofoam recycling is very necessary to protect our environment. And then reuse it to do some other products.

Polystyrene foam agent is made of polystyrene resin, adding foaming agent and other additives, it is a cushioning material that used frequently. China's polystyrene foam production mainly concentrated in the northeast, Jiangsu and Zhejiang and Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and which is small and medium enterprises.

When the density of polystyrene foam sheet is insufficient, if it is used for exterior insulation of building exterior wall will lead to its low tensile strength, which easy to make the middle of the EPS board was broken; at the same time, the low EPS board density will lead to lower insulation performance and increase hygiene, which will affect the building insulation effect, polystyrene foam board will not achieve the role of building energy conservation insulation.

At present, China's EPS production enterprises is about 2000, polystyrene foam production momentum is good, and the quality continues to increase. But the number of large enterprises are less. It is reported that the apparent density refers to the volume per unit of the foam in the specified temperature and relative humidity conditions. The apparent density affects the other physical performance to a certain extent and directly reflects the cost of the product.

China's thermal insulation materials market started late, especially organic materials, thermal insulation materials market development is lagging behind. Over the past decade, the state actively promote the development of energy-efficient buildings, reduce energy consumption, making the expansion of polystyrene board thin plaster external wall insulation technology has been widely used.

And these materials can be recycled through Styrofoam recycling solutions, which not only can protect the environment, but also can save the waste resources.

Begin to take actions to deal with waste plastic

About the waste plastic, governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations have taken action to arouse public awareness of the hazards of micro-plastic waste, from the source to prevent micro-plastic waste generated. In June 2014, the United Nations Environment Conference put forward the issue of marine waste and micro-plastics, and eventually reached the "marine plastic waste and micro-plastics resolution", proposed to carry out the marine plastic waste and micro-plastic research.

At present, Europe and the United States and other countries have increased the intensity of the study of micro-plastics, some countries or regions have developed a number of laws and regulations, such as the ban on the addition of plastic beads in cosmetic products and take such action as Styrofoam recycling. With the gradual deepening of the understanding of micro-plastics, do not rule out the future in the production of related products, management and marine environmental pollution responsibility and other aspects of the development of the corresponding international regulations.

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of plastics, micro-plastic pollution on China's coastal ecosystems constitute a serious threat. Last year, China officially launched the first on the marine micro-plastics Ministry of Science and Technology focus on key research and development projects - "marine micro-plastic monitoring and assessment of eco-environmental effects of technology," focusing on micro-plastic pollution in China's coastal environment and its In the marine ecosystem in the complex behavior, on the basis of the micro-plastic marine environmental risk to make a scientific risk assessment of the marine micro-plastic pollution monitoring, control to provide effective technical support and decision-making advice.

So plastic recycling such as Styrofoam recycling solutions is very necessary to protect our environment. And then we can reuse it to do some other products, such as ps pellets, and then use them to do other products such as frames.

Marine micro-plastic pollution has a great influence on the ocean

Since 2004, Thompson published "Lost at the sea: Where is all the plastic" in Science, marine plastic pollution has been more and more attention by environmentalists. Although before this, we are concerned about the "white pollution" is also a plastic pollution, but it seems limited to environmental policy level.

The ocean is the largest recipient of water on earth, and millions of tons of plastic waste are dumped into the ocean every year. Some of these garbage are easy to break down, some are difficult to break down. In any case, in the decomposition process, these plastics will release toxic substances, such as phthalates, bisphenol A and so on.  These plastics will be broken down into tiny particles too;

These tiny plastic, in the ocean, not only can release toxic substances, but also can be adsorbed other toxic substances, such as PCBs and flame retardants. And ultimately may be kept by marine life. A recent article, published in Science, said that micro-plastics are more attractive than food for European perch (Perca fluviatilis) in the ocean. In addition to this can explain the micro-plastic which can affect the fish population, but also can indirectly explain the micro-plastic pollution of marine fish which may appear on the human table. However, the impact of micro-plastics on human health is not yet known. In fact, micro-plastic may have appeared on the table, in 2015 China's scientists found in the salt containing micro-plastic.

Polystyrene foam plastic is also widely used in our lives, but after discarded in the water or soil, it won’t rot for years, affecting the production of crops, and recycling and reuse will bring people more interest, so it is very important to take such actions like polystyrene recycling, which not only can protect the environment, but also can save the resources.

How to deal with the plastic bottles?

A Senate hearing heard about the impact of marine plastic pollution on Australian waters. The hearing was informed that a common seabird on the Australian coast was dying from marine plastic pollution - one in every ten young seagulls died of food or plastic chemical contamination.

"It will also happen in other species," says Jennifer Lavas, the biologist of the study, at the hearing. His research partner Ian Hughton said that a bird was found with 274 pieces of plastic in the stomach, accounting for 14% of its weight, "which is equivalent to a person with a pillow of plastic in the stomach."

"Although the problem of marine pollution is as important as the major issues such as global warming and sea-level rise, the research has been a lack of funding for a long time." This is a very serious and ubiquitous threat, and the rapid growth. There is no sign of no stop. "

"Our understanding of these complex issues, including chemical pollution, is very weak, and we have just started from the basic level."

Scientists and environmental groups called for action to address the issue that is seriously affecting marine life. They say that the use of disposable plastics, especially beverages containers, accounts for one third of the plastic found in the sea.

"We have to be more responsible for the packaging of their products," said Ian Kiernam, founder of the Clean Australian Organization. "We are disappointed with many industries, especially in the alcohol and beverage industry, Of the legislation, but we never give up.

He called on the government to introduce, for example, a container refund program in South Australia. He also recommends that the plastic cap be permanently attached to the container, thereby reducing the flow of waste to the waters.

Because most of the plastics are disposable, which can easily become the white pollution, so EPS recycling is very necessary to protect our environment. And then we can reuse it to do some other products.

Concerned about food contamination of plastic packaging products

     There are a wide range of plastic packaging products on the market now, and plastic bags, fast food boxes become an indispensable home shopping items.

    The main raw materials for the production of plastic products for foodstuffs are polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and melamine. The raw materials for producing degradable fast food boxes are plant fiber, pulp and cardboard. The Food and Sanitation Law of the People's Republic of China stipulates that food containers, packaging materials and foodstuffs and equipment must meet the hygienic standards and hygienic regulations; food containers, packaging materials and food tools and equipment must be produced in accordance with hygienic requirements of the raw materials; products should be easy to clean and disinfect.

   For the production of food products with plastic raw materials, processing aids and molding products, the state has developed a corresponding standard and test items. The products produced by the enterprise must be qualified for inspection before they can be put on the market.

     At present, some unscrupulous traders in the society use non-food raw materials (such as industrial raw materials) production, or recycled waste plastics and reused them in the production of poor quality packaging materials as food bags to the community. Such products contain a variety of harmful substances on the human body. Recycled plastic after repeated pollution, will inevitably cause pollution of food.

    

    Health supervision agencies at all levels should strengthen the food packaging products and raw materials supervision and management. Consumers from the protection of their own health should resist the proliferation of non-food plastic packaging materials and choose to use qualified food packaging materials and use  plastic bags and fast food boxes less to reduce the risk of food contamination.

    Plastic is widely used in our lives, but after discarded in the water or soil, it won’t rot for years, affecting the production of crops, so it is very important to recycle waste plastic, which including the EPS recycling.

Johnson announced the suspension of plastic cotton swab

The United Nations last year warned that a large number of empty bottles and clothes floating at sea, has become a serious threat to human health and marine environmental ecology, is now facing the world's most dangerous environmental problems. Under the initiative, there are a number of multinational companies committed to do not use plastic products, Johnson also follow up, announced the sale of plastic production of cotton swabs replaced by paper.

The Independent reported that the global plastic products increased rapidly, plastic production from 2004 to 2014 increased by 38%, but the recovery such as Styrofoam recycling did not keep up with the pace, so that many plastic particles were washed to marine. In 2010 it is estimated that about 4.8 million to 12.7 million tons of plastic in the sea, and finally ate by whales, plankton and other marine life.

Experiments show that the use of plastic instead of insects in the body 1% of the sediment, the ability of the worm to store energy with a negative impact. Last year, a study analyzed the fish bile sold in Indonesia and California, and found that more than a quarter of the fish contained plastic.

Scientists are afraid of chemical substances in plastics and chemical substances attached to plastic in the natural environment, which can lead to marine life poisoning, infertility and destruction of genetic, if a large number of human intake will suffer. The United Nations reported that the presence of micro-plastics in food could increase the direct exposure of plastics-related chemicals to humans and could pose a risk to human health.

To solve the problem of marine plastic pollution, Johnson & Johnson announced the sale of plastic production of cotton sticks, from the paper to produce. The British Marine Conservation Association pointed out that the cotton swab was the 6th largest common waste found on the British beach in 2016, mainly because people used to throw used cotton sticks into the toilet, causing the plastic to follow the sewer to pollute the ocean while the paper was made of cotton rods can be naturally decomposed to reduce pollution concerns.

Is Polystyrene Board a Foam Board?

Polystyrene board commonly used in electrical box, is a lot of particles bonded together, and molded polystyrene board is the same thing. So, is polystyrene board not a foam board?

The polystyrene board is made of a polystyrene bead containing a volatile liquid blowing agent, and a white solid having a fine closed-cell structure which is heated and molded in a mold after being preheated by heating, in the form of a furniture shockproof foam.

Polystyrene board also known as foam board or EPS board. It can be used for building wall, roof insulation, composite insulation sheet insulation layer; for vehicles, ship refrigeration equipment and cold storage of insulation materials; for the decoration of various models, which can also be used as a waterproof layer of the protective layer.

Floor insulation can be blown in to some types of flooring, or installed manually, in the form of batting. There are a number of approaches which can be used, depending on the flooring. People who would like to insulate their floors should talk to a contractor about insulation options, and ask the contractor to assess their home to make sure that floor insulation is a sensible choice.

It is important to note that the expanded polystyrene board (eps plate) has a higher water absorption relative to the extruded polystyrene board (XPS plate), which is because xps raw material is ps pellets. With the increase in water absorption, the thermal conductivity also increased, the insulation effect and also will be worse. This is also a disadvantage of the material.

  On top of that, when polystyrene board is used, it can also be take such actions as polystyrene recycling to do other products.

China’s Ban on Free Disposable Plastic Shopping Bags

With the severe “White Pollution”, the environment has caused wide public concern. “White Pollution” in China is majorly caused by disposable plastic shopping bags, which will be used only once and then become permanent pollution. Therefore, it is necessary for China to formulate a ban on free disposable plastic shopping bags.  

The government ban, no more free plastic bags from June 1, 2008, is a comparatively effective policy. First and foremost, the public have been aware of the importance of stopping the “White Pollution” and most of them support this policy. The government has made a series of measures to achieve the goal. Advertisements concerning the “White Pollution” has notablely increased.

Besides, environment-friendly plastic bags have been widely used in most supermarkets and enterprises. Chinese Government claimed that the amount of plastic bags in supermarkets alone was decreased by 40 billion during the last year. Obviously the ban is effective among those supermarkets, which will benefit the environment a lot in the long term. Lastly，more and more people have been involved in the campaign to ban the use of plastic bags. Most residents are willing to bring bags when they are shopping, by which way they can make a due contribution to environmental protection.   

However, the ban seems to be a little ineffective among some bauernmarkts and groceries where free thin plastic bags are everywhere.

Even government officers have to admit that the thinnest plastic bags which are forbidden are still in use, particularly in bauernmarkts and groceries. Partly because there is no clear requirement to announce to peddleries. Many of them choose to offer customers plastics bags as usual and some even don’t know the ban. Partly because it is a hard job to check and supervise so many peddleries, especially in remote areas.   

On the whole, government and citizens should make sure that the ban keep effective. Reinforcing supervision is necessary to insure plastic bags would be made by environment-friendly and recyclable materials. Also enhancing people's awareness of environmental protection is a fundamental way to reduce the use of plastic bags.

There is no excuse for any of us to make the plastic bag ban end up as a dead duck. On top of that, we also can take such actions like Styrofoam recycling, which is very necessary to protect our environment. And then we can reuse it to do some other products.

Whether ban on foam polystyrene tableware good or not？

Expanded polystyrene tableware, that is, disposable foam plastic tableware, refers to using polystyrene resin as raw material, and then be made of various kinds of food or beverage boxes, such as soup bowls, instant noodles bowl, fresh tray and so on.

There are many arguments about the disposable tableware,

1, disposable tableware on the human body harmful;

2, disposable tableware caused by environmental pollution.

It is not correct to say that disposable tableware is harmful to the human body. Rumors that when you use disposable foamed tableware to contain hot food or hot water, the temperature is usually more than 65 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, the toxins contained in the utensils such as bisphenol A in the disposable foaming tableware will precipitate and dipped into the food. If the production of foam tableware raw materials in the concentration of harmful substances exceeded the process of control process is not good, the poison will be greater.

However, according to research shows that tableware desolvation temperature to be as high as 280 ℃ above, softening temperature also need 110 ℃ to 120 ℃. The temperature can be used for hot meals. And the process of poor control of the process caused by toxic, which is the management of the problem, not the problem of tableware. Like there are individual toxic rice, we have no reason to list the rice as toxic substances, right? The same reason as a result of the problem of a failed tableware products, we should strengthen the supervision to solve the problem. And should not forbidden using foamed polystyrene tableware.

However, about the bad effect of plastic waste, we should think ways to solve these problems, and plastic recycling such as polystyrene recycling is a good way, which not only can protect the environment, but also can save the waste resources.

The market status quo of the polystyrene foam

China's thermal insulation materials market started late, especially organic materials, and thermal insulation materials market development is also lagging behind. Over the past decade, the state actively promote the development of energy-saving buildings, reduce energy consumption, making the expansion of polystyrene board thin plaster external wall insulation technology has been widely used, which make the demand of EPS increased, and led the rapid development of EPS production enterprises.

Polystyrene foam is made of polystyrene resin, adding foaming agent and other additives. China's polystyrene foam production mainly concentrated in the northeast, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and most of them are small and medium enterprises.

It is reported that the apparent density refers to the volume per unit in the specified temperature and relative humidity conditions. The apparent density affects the other physical performance to a certain extent and directly reflects the cost of the product.

When the density of polystyrene foam sheet is insufficient, if it is used for exterior insulation wall, it will lead to its low tensile strength, which can not meet the strength of the bearing capacity requirements, and easy to make the middle of the EPS board be broken; at the same time EPS board density will lead to lower insulation performance, increased hygiene, affecting the building insulation effect. And polystyrene foam board will not achieve the role of building energy conservation insulation.

At present, China's EPS production enterprises is about 2000, polystyrene foam production momentum is good, the quality continues to increase. But the number of large enterprises is less.

Although the large amount enterprises which made of polystyrene, we all know that polystyrene can cause great pollution, so we also should pay more attention on the polystyrene recycling.