Dissolution of polystyrene into cyclic monoterpenes present in tree essential oils

Abstract

We examined dissolution of polystyrene (PS) into cyclic monoterpenes present in tree essential oils, in order to develop an environmentally friendly shrinking agent for expanded polystyrene. The relationship between the chemical structure of the monoterpenes and their dissolution power for PS was studied through the solubility parameter (d) and apparent activation energy (E a ) for dissolution. (R)-Limonene and its structural isomers on a C=C bond have high solvent power for PS. This favorable solubility was explained by their solubility parameters. The occurrence of hydroxyl group in a solvent molecule, such as in terpinen-4-ol, reduced affinity for PS. Bicyclic monoterpenes and 1,8-cineole, which have sterically bulky structure, showed limited dissolution power even though they have solubility parameters similar to that of (R)-limonene. Their bulky structures would interfere with permeation of solvent into the PS matrix. Cyclic monoterpenes and PS were recovered almost quantitatively by simple steam distillation of the PS solution.

Emerging trends in sustainable treatment and valorisation technologies for plastic wastes in Nigeria: A concise review

“…Next, the homogenous sized particles are subjected to dissolution to dissolve, crystallize, and recover the targeted polymers as well as remove impurities using highly selective solvents. Typically, the solvents used for dissolution include water, methanol, propanol, hexane, dichloromethane, toluene, xylene 134,135 among others, which are based on broad classifications such as strong or weak solvents. 133 The homogeneous or heterogeneous process of dissolution is also significantly influenced by the polarity, solubility, and cohesion between the solvent and polymer.…”

Polystyrene Wastes: Threat or Opportunity?

“…The replacement of aromatic solvents and/or lubricating oils by natural ones, such as terpene oils, could transform the dissolution in an environmentally friendly technology. Several researches have checked the viability of terpenes to solubilise PS [33,34,[43][44][45][46].…”

“…Dissolution and shrinking has been proposed as one of the cheapest and most efficient methods for the recycling of PS [32][33][34]. The selection of the most suitable solvent is the crucial step for the selective recycling of polymers by dissolution [35].…”

Uso de poliestireno expandido reciclado para la obtención de un recubrimiento anticorrosivo

“…Entre los polímeros que poseen una gran demanda en el mundo se encuentra el poliestireno expandido (EPS) (Aarnio, 2008;Arvanitoyannis, 2008), más conocido en nuestro país como Icopor. Se han adelantado investigaciones (Hattori, 2010;Shikata, 2011;Song, 2010;Suyama, 2010) encaminadas a su reciclaje y aprovechamiento para la obtención de resinas utilizadas como materia prima en el reproceso de estas.…”