Motivation and Creation of Styro-Filter
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The accumulation of expanded polystyrene foam waste (commonly called Styrofoam®) in our landfills and oceans is an increasing global problem. A staggering 1 billion kilograms of polystyrene foam are thrown away annually in the US alone, making polystyrene one of the main components of landfills, as well as polluting and harming our marine environment. Because it is neither economically feasible nor commercially viable to recycle, polystyrene is considered a non-renewable material. Furthermore, polystyrene takes over 500 years to degrade, making its impact on the environment long-lasting.
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In order to address this problem, we hypothesized that polystyrene waste could be converted into activated carbon to be used for water filtration, thereby reducing pollution while at the same time providing a means to purify water. To do this, we first developed an innovative low temperature process to convert polystyrene into base carbon, successfully achieving yields over 50%. We then investigated simple chemical reagents which, coupled with heating, effectively etched the carbon to achieve a surface area of over 300 m2/g. The resulting activated carbon was shown to be very effective at removing a variety of inorganic chemicals from contaminated water solutions, and further chemical analysis confirmed the safety and efficacy of the process.
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These encouraging results confirm that Styro-Filter is a feasible solution to transform polystyrene waste into a practical product using a simple thermal and chemical activation process. Because the process is similar to conditions currently used to convert bituminous coal into activated carbon, this process would be relatively easy to commercialize and implement in existing activated carbon facilities.
In summary, our innovative process demonstrates the potential to re-purpose polystyrene and reduce the volume of polystyrene foam waste going into the world’s landfills and oceans. By successfully producing activated carbon from polystyrene waste materials, we have also demonstrated the possibility of a low cost and environmentally friendly input material for producing activated carbon. Styro-Filter therefore addresses two of the most challenging environmental problems today, and has the potential to make polystyrene waste a renewable resource.
In summary, our innovative process demonstrates the potential to re-purpose polystyrene and reduce the volume of polystyrene foam waste going into the world’s landfills and oceans. By successfully producing activated carbon from polystyrene waste materials, we have also demonstrated the possibility of a low cost and environmentally friendly input material for producing activated carbon. Styro-Filter therefore addresses two of the most challenging environmental problems today, and has the potential to make polystyrene waste a renewable resource.
Schematic of the Styro-Filter process
