Recyclable Alternative Styrofoam to Replace Non-biodegradable Styrofoam

Feb, 2021 - By WMR

Styrofoam which has been widely used for insulation purposes now has a biodegradable alternative which has similar performance to traditional Styrofoam.

Styrofoam is a closed-cell extruded polystyrene used for insulation in walls, roof and as thermal insulation or water and air resistance. It is commonly known as Blue Board and is a trademarked brand owned and produced by The Dow Chemical Company. As 95% of Styrofoam’s composition is air it allows the Styrofoam to float on water and go down the drains and eventually into the water bodies. Styrofoam plays a major role in of the plastic pollution in the oceans and they are not biodegradable even in the dump yards.

Today plastic has become a big problem for the marine life. The Styrofoam in the water gets cut into small pieces and ends up being ingested by the marine life. This is very dangerous for the marine life as it may cause death. Pollution is also spread by the waste Styrofoam on land as it is very light weight and the small pieces can fly away from the land fill. The material from which Styrofoam is made is not good for the environment on the land nor in water.

Scientists at the Dresden University of Technology have developed a Styrofoam alternative which has the same insulating properties but it is biodegradable in nature. The Styrofoam alternative it made from different paper waste and not by the same process as paper making. However, the alternative itself is biodegradable but it is coated by plastic film wrap for water proofing purposes. The scientists are working to bring a biodegradable alternative for the plastic film wrap. With the invention of biodegradable plastic films, the whole alternative Styrofoam will become biodegradable and safe for the environment. The production of Styrofoam will be done by the company, easy2cool.