2022.03.10
A continuous process for the conversion of used polystyrene to styrene monomer has been developed by American chemists. The process could help the recycling of polystyrene become more economical by recycling it into new high-quality materials, rather than just melting and remolding contaminated plastics into low-value products.
Most recycled plastics must be sorted from general municipal waste and end up in low-value products like fence panels, as they are often mixed with other materials or contaminated. “It is too expensive to clean it and turn it into something useful.
Simply melting and rewrapping plastic waste can be messy and cause plastic to decompose, carbonize, and emit harmful gases, explains Schmidt. His team wanted to develop ways to convert it back to the original monomer, which could then be reprocessed into virgin plastic or other products. Various other groups had shown that it was possible to obtain batches of polystyrene to depolymerize, but to make it more economically viable, it had to be a continuous process.
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