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A new recycling system for expanded polystyrene using a natural solvent. Part 1. A new recycling technique
Author(s) -
Noguchi Tsutomu,
Miyashita Mayumi,
Inagaki Yasuhito,
Watanabe Haruo
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
packaging technology and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.365
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1099-1522
pISSN - 0894-3214
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1522(199802)11:1<19::aid-pts414>3.0.co;2-5
Subject(s) - limonene , polystyrene , solvent , toluene , solubility , chemistry , expanded polystyrene , materials science , chemical engineering , degradation (telecommunications) , organic chemistry , waste management , polymer , chromatography , essential oil , composite material , computer science , engineering , telecommunications
A new recycling technique has been developed which uses a natural solvent, d limonene, to shrink expanded polystyrene (EPS). d ‐Limonene is a natural vegetable oil which is extracted from the rinds of citrus fruits and is a good solvent of EPS. Limonene has almost the same solubility as toluene at room temperature. This technique reduces the volume of EPS to about 1/20th of the original. Contracted EPS is recyclable with almost no molecular weight degradation because d ‐limonene acts as an antioxidant of polystyrene during the heating process. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.