Styrofoam

The Dow Chemical Company has the trademark for Styrofoam, a foam made from extruded polystyrene. The extruded polystyrene is made from styrene. Styrofoam has been used in many ways since it was first invented in 1941. It has low density and does not conduct heat well due to the large pockets of air in its structure. Styrofoam is commonly used to insulate panels, act as impact-absorbing inserts in automobiles, and in gasket materials.

Who Discovered Polystyrene?

Although Dow has the Styrofoam trademark, Eduard Simon is credited with discovering polystyrene in 1839, as he was the first to isolate the substance from natural resin. It was not until 1922 that German chemist, Hermann Staudinger, discovered that the substance was in fact a plastic polymer. He ultimately won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1953. The BASF company developed a way to commercially manufacture polystyrene in 1930. This is sometimes accredited to I.G. Farben, who held BASF under trust at the time. The Dow Chemical company then introduced polystyrene based products to the U.S. Market in 1937.

Who Invented Styrofoam?

A Dow scientist, Ray McIntire, is credited with inventing Styrofoam. He invented it while trying to create a more flexible electrical insulator during World War II. Instead he created foam polystyrene, which was more than 30 times lighter than the polystyrene that had previously been used on the market. Dow patented Styrofoam technology in 1941. The brand was first used commercially in 1946 in housing applications and roofing materials in 1949.

How is Styrofoam Made?

Styrofoam is made from a petroleum based product called styrene. Styrene is refined into molten polystyrene through a polymerization process. HCFC (Hydrochloroflourocarbon) 142b is dissolved under pressure into the substance while it is in the molten state. The polystyrene is then extruded and allowed to expand under pressure until it creates a foam board. At this point, the boards can be cut into the dimensions required for the final Styrofoam product.

What are Styrofoam’s Uses?

Styrofoam has been used for many purposes since it was first invented. Dow Chemical uses the substance to produce building materials such as pipe insulation, insulated sheathing, and structural materials. It is also used under roads and structures to prevent the soil from being disturbed due to freezing or thawing ice. Research continues to this day in order to find more uses for the substance. It has most recently been used in wall construction.

Styrofoam Recycling

The term Styrofoam refers to all polystyrene products that are used to make food packaging products, cups, plates, and other packaging materials. Although the Dow Chemical Company owns the trademark on Styrofoam insulation, there are a number of similar packing products that are referred to as Styrofoam, albeit that they have a slightly different composition. All of the products that fall under the Styrofoam label have extremely low densities and its lightweight product(s) have a significant amount of air in them. These materials take up a greater than normal amount of landfill space, which compounds the problem of landfills prematurely filling to capacity. Fortunately, Styrofoam can be recycled, which helps to alleviate concerns about this product(s) being disposed of in landfills.

What is the Cost of Recycling Styrofoam?

Styrofoam has a number of functional uses. For instance, it can be molded into many shapes to protect fragile products from damage, used for shipping “peanuts”, and used in the food industry for food trays and cups. Due to how light the substance is, recycling it is cost prohibitive unless done in large quantities. Additionally, small recycling agencies that clean Styrofoam items used for food have experienced profit loss. Despite these difficulties, however, there are still some companies that recycle Styrofoam. Unfortunately, consumers may have to drive a significant distance in order to get to them.

What is the Process for Recycling Styrofoam?

The most common Styrofoam recycling method is to shred it and then soak it in acetone, which causes it to dissolve into smaller pieces. These shreds are then set into molds of desired shapes where they are then used to create new products. Another way to recycle Styrofoam is by using a polystyrene compactor to melt it down to a dense block, which is significantly smaller than the Styrofoam material’s original size. Once the material has gone through this process, it is considered sterilized and can therefore be disposed of or re-used.