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Author: Subject: Depolymerization of Styrofoam
Flip
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[*] posted on 2-3-2006 at 19:55
Depolymerization of Styrofoam


How would I go about depolymerizing styrofoam to it's monomer? Would I need to add some kind of inhibitor? A colleague of mine once told me that it woud have to be done under nitrogen, but i'm no longer in touch with him, and i've no idea how I might go about it.
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runlabrun
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[*] posted on 2-3-2006 at 20:05


im not sure how to do it, there was a big discussion of this a while back on another board which shall remain nameless. Best bet would be to buy those fibreglass kits and extract the un-polymerised styrene from the tub in the kit... its just styrene in a solvent and inidcator dye (to see when the sytrene is polymerising) but this too would have to be done under nitrogen and with very clean glassware, even then it would need to be stabilised in solution to prevent it polymerising post extraction.

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[*] posted on 2-3-2006 at 20:06


Someone had the same idea back at the old Hive board.......and here is a reply from an elder bee...........solo


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Osmium
Member   posted 05-06-98 04:36 AM          
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Thermal depolymerization of styrene doesn't work, because you will get only a small percentage of styrene and lots of other shit.
But styrene is no problem to get, ask chem supplier (expensive), or buy from plastic resin supplier in gallon quantities (used in polyester resins).
 




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[*] posted on 2-3-2006 at 20:31
Depolymerization of Styrofoam


Oh, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to place an order for a gallon of styrene monomer. I'm just rather fond of the idea of synthesizing my compound of interest starting with ordinary styrofoam. Bragging rights, you know. However, I would love to get a viable OTC source.

Speaking of the old Hive board, how can I get my hands on the archive? I mean, the whole forum archive, not the Rhodium archive. Does anyone have it who would send it to me?

Flip
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Polverone
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[*] posted on 3-3-2006 at 00:10


I've done it on a test tube scale without difficulty. I first added packing peanuts to acetone to "melt" them, then let the compacted material dry. A small chunk of this material was heated over an open flame in a pyrex test tube. It melted/boiled easily and refluxed within the tube. I was able to pour the clear, slightly yellowish liquid off to another test tube if I let it cool for a few seconds. It smelled like styrene and was easily enough oxidized by permanganate like a sample of commercial styrene monomer.



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[*] posted on 3-3-2006 at 03:59


Patent written in Chinese.
Application: CN 94-119654 19941215. CAN 124:316760 AN 1996:285029
CAPLUS

Patent Family Information

Patent No. Kind Date Application No. Date
CN 1110677 A 19951025 CN 1994-119654 19941215

Priority Application
CN 1994-119654 19941215


Abstract

PhCH2CO2H (I) is prepd. from polystyrene (II). Crushed II was distd. at >
340° to give styrene, which was heated with S and NH4OH in EtOH at 93-95°
to give 94% PhCONH2. Hydrolysis of PhCONH2 with HCl in H2O gave 84% I.
This process is efficient and pollution-free.
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