This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Polystyrene is used in protective packaging for televisions and electronic devices, in decorative boards and baseboards for interior construction, and in petri dishes. It is one of the world's most important plastics, with nearly 20 million tons produced each year.
The material is predominantly derived from crude oil and is rarely recycled. Virgin polystyrene is often cheaper than recycled material, meaning that used products are typically incinerated or sent to landfills. Like many other plastics, polystyrene is highly resistant to degradation in the environment.
Researchers have now developed a more sustainable version of polystyrene. "The combination of renewable feedstocks, reduced energy consumption and improved recyclability represents a major step forward," says doctoral researcher Phannaro Nhem, first author of the paper published in the journal Chem Circularity. Nhem is currently pursuing his Ph.D. under the supervision of professor Francesca Toma, director of Hereon's Institute of Functional Materials for Sustainability.
The project also involved researchers from BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Freie Universität Berlin and Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg. Conventional polystyrene is produced by chemically linking styrene molecules into a plastic material. During this process, the styrene molecules form a rigid polymer, and the reaction vessel must be heated.
The research team supplemented the styrene with the chemical compound itaconic anhydride, which can be produced through the fermentation of plant-based carbohydrates such as sugar. The resulting polystyrene contains around 50% of this bio-based raw material. The manufacturing process was also made more energy efficient.
Instead of using heated reaction vessels, the researchers employed microwave radiation as a heat source. "It is similar to a kitchen at home. Heating food on a stove takes time and consumes a lot of energy.
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