Biodegradabe polystyrene expected
The widely used environmentally unfriendly packaging material will soon, we expect, be replaced by a biodegradable alternative which has recently been developed in a Chinese university. They embed water-absorbing resin particles within the polymer, which then expand when in contact with water, breaking the entire structure down into a powder which will then biodegrade. This new polystyrene-like material will be cheaper to produce, therefore expected to be widely accepted.
There is a post in the NewScientist blog, with a link to the patent for the product which describes the material and implications in detail.
“Foam polystyrene is a major environmental concern. It is used as a protective packaging for all sorts of products, but it is not biodegradable. Various manufacturers have experimented in making it more environmentally friendly, for example by incorporating cellulose and starch which microbes can break down, or by adding light-sensitive polymers that degrade in sunlight.
But Shanpu Ya and colleagues at the Polymer Science & Engineering College of Quingdao University of Science & Technology in China say these methods all have serious disadvantages. In particular, it takes too long time for polymers to break down in these ways, they claim.
Instead, they have developed a new approach that involves embedding water-absorbing resin particles about 5 micrometres in diameter throughout a chemical like styrene before it is polymerised to form a polystyrene-like material.”