Polystyrene Case

Polystyrene is defined as a strong plastic created from Petroleum Ether(Benzine) and ererythylene. It was discovered by Eduard Simon in 1839. Polystyrene can be injected, blow moulded or extruded, thus making it a versatile and useful manufacturing component. Polystyrene products are recyclable in nature. Polystyrene is usually recognizable in its usual form of Styrofoam. It is used for beveraging cups and peanut packaging.(Bellis 1997). Polystyrene is also one of the most widely used plastics(

Ray Mcintire, the inventor of Styrofoam, claimed that his discovery was accidental while trying to produce a good insulator during World War 2. The result was a foam polystyrene with bubble, 30 times lighter than polystyrene.(Bellis 1997. Since then, Polystyrene has had a major impact in the manufacture of various items of different ranges and there are many pros and cons of this chemical material. Thus, the main aim of this investigation to justify the matter of whether polystyrene should be used as a material for food containers.

Chemical Concepts

Polystyrene is a repeating polymer of styrene with the formula (CH2-CH[Ph])n, where Ph

is a phenyl (C6H5) ring(Barrans Jr. 2003). The IUPAC nomenclature of polystyrene is Poly(1-

phenylethane-1,2-diyl) and it is and aromatic polymer made from the monomer styrene, which is a liquid hydrocarbon commercially manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry(Polystyrene 2010). ). The chemical formula of polystyrene is (C8H8)n. Its structural formula is seen in Figure 1(Helmenstein 2001). Furthermore, Polystyrene posseses thermoplastic capabilities as it exists in a solid(glassy) state at room temperature. It can also be made to take on various distinct colours(Polystyrene 2010).Other than that , Polystyrene is commonly produced in three forms: extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene foam, and extruded polystyrene foam, each with a variety of applications. Polystyrene copolymers are also produced; these contain one or more other monomers in addition to styrene. In recent years the expanded polystyrene composites with cellulose and starch have also been produced(Polystyrene 2010). Polystyrene's most common use, however, is as expanded polystyrene (EPS). Expanded polystyrene is produced from a mixture of about 90-95% polystyrene and 5-10% gaseous blowing agent, most commonly pentane(C5H12) or carbon dioxide(CO2) (High Impact Polystyrene). Apart from that. the process of manufacturing styrene is seen pictured by the equations in Figure 2 and Figure 3. The main manufacturing routeto styrene is the dirct hydrogenation of ethylbenzene. The reaction shown in Figure 2 has a heat of reaction of -121KJ/mol(endothermic). Almost 65% of styrene is used to produce polystyrene. The overall reaction describing the styrene polymerization is shown in Figure 3. A beeter alternative for food