Most of us do not think about the further fate of the waste we throw away. Like the countless Styrofoam boxes we throw away, and the various Styrofoam food containers and Styrofoam fillers. We rarely think about where they end up. But we now see them more and more often in the oceans and by the roadside. Governments and communities around the world have actually started recycling Styrofoam, but it's not enough. Recently, some scientists have begun to explore the frontiers of plastic recycling and believe that upcycling Styrofoam may be more economically attractive.



Indeed, we know that most plastics can actually be recycled, especially Styrofoam. We know that most plastic products are actually recyclable, so we also safely throw them in the recycling bin. But the problem is that not every recycling plant or recycling center has the capacity to handle plastics like Styrofoam. The chemical structure of Styrofoam is not simple, so specific recycling procedures need to be set, and professional recycling machines and techniques are required. Therefore, a research team led by Guoliang "Greg" Liu, associate professor of chemistry in the College of Science, wanted to improve the current Styrofoam recycling process. After all, some recycling plants are afraid to invest in Styrofoam recycling. If the recycling process can be improved to make Styrofoam recycling more economically attractive, more and more companies will be doing Styrofoam recycling.



The team found that exposing Styrofoam to UV light and adding a chemical catalyst could produce a product called DPM. DPM is important in many fields and can be used in drug development, as well as fragrances and more. And DPM is also more expensive than recycled Styrofoam products. This is really good news, however, all Styrofoam upcycling needs to stand the test of time. This chemical recovery must require a large amount of catalyst, and the price of catalyst is not cheap. Secondly, if you want to recycle Styrofoam in large quantities, you need to build a dedicated factory to meet the laboratory environment. This is undoubtedly a great investment as well.



The research team's experimental results are indeed worth motivating, and global plastic recycling really needs more possibilities and solutions. But the current Styrofoam recycling is actually not as difficult to operate as imagined. Currently, we prefer to recycle Styrofoam through physical methods. Because Styrofoam is bulky, it is very uneconomical to ship it once, but Styrofoam can be pre-processed first: compressed. GREENMAX Styrofoam compactor can crush Styrofoam into blocks. The reduced volume makes subsequent recycling of Styrofoam easier. INTCO Recycling can provide customers with the most professional Styrofoam recycling services, and we are also striving to make a positive impact on the world through our recycling methods.