Chemical recycling technology expert Agilyx and its partners Technip Energies and Ineos Styrolution are using chemical recycling to recycle polystyrene. In fact, recycling polystyrene chemically is a relatively new technology, and many companies are currently trying it. This method is also the subject of many experimental studies. The parties are expanding the Channahon, Illinois, plant to process 100 tons of polystyrene per day, converting polystyrene into high-purity styrene monomer. The monomer can be used to create new food-grade plastic products or packaging.

It is undeniable that this is indeed an advancement in the field of polystyrene recycling, and we need multiple technologies to support the recycling of polystyrene plastics. But is this novel recycling method really better than the mature mechanical recycling method? It can only be said that the two polystyrene recycling methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. We understand that when using chemical methods for recycling, there are probably three main steps of distillation, depolymerization and pyrolysis, which is not a simple process. The polystyrene recycled by chemical methods is relatively pure and can be used as food-grade contact packaging. However, some products do not need to have such a high purity, nor do they need to be recycled in such a cumbersome way, and are directly processed by mechanical recycling. Efficient and economical recycling will do.

Recycling using a polystyrene compactor is a common way of performing mechanical recycling. The main function of the polystyrene compactor is to reduce the volume of the huge polystyrene. The compression step does not directly turn the polystyrene into a recycled material that can be reused, but it is the premise of all recycling.

Intco Recycling provides this kind of recycling equipment. The compression ratio of polystyrene compactor can reach 50:1, from the perspective of environmental protection. The polystyrene compactor adopts screw extrusion technology, which is an environmentally friendly equipment in terms of material addition and waste production. The compressed polystyrene becomes compact, which is convenient for transportation and management, and also provides enough convenience for the subsequent granulation process.

If you also want to start a polystyrene recycling project but have no idea, please feel free to consult Intco Recycling!