Styrofoam is ten times as value if it is densified. I propose a vacuum chamber.
vtx.vt.edu: Virginia Tech researcher finds a new method for recycling polystyrene
19 AUG 2022
Quote:
In a paper recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team presents a new method for recycling — or perhaps more accurately, “upcycling” — polystyrene. By exposing the material to ultraviolet light and adding a chemical catalyst, this method creates a product called diphenylmethane (DPM) that is immensely useful. DPM is used as a precursor in drug development, polymer manufacturing, and even as a fragrance in consumer products. Importantly, DPM has a market price that is 10 times higher than other materials that can currently be made from recycled polystyrene.
The researchers took their investigation one step further: They wanted to confirm that this new method would achieve the economic viability they were striving for. The chemists from Virginia Tech teamed up with business experts from Santa Clara University and the Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, who ran an analysis to determine how profitable the recycling method would be overall. Their results showed that because DPM has such a high economic value, the costs of collecting and processing the polystyrene would be fully justified.
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Over/under on when the bottom falls out of the DPM market?
