Dissolution and recovery of waste expanded polystyrene using alternative essential oils

Abstract

The disposal of expanded polystyrene contributes to the current pollution problem. To deal with such issues, there are different recycling methods. However, most of these options are expensive and environmentally unfriendly. Herein, we report an alternative, environmentally friendly and cheaper recycling process for recovering expanded polystyrene at room temperature based on commercial essential oils used without further purification. Full dissolution of the polystyrene was achieved with a maximum ratio of 1:1 wt%. This dissolution time is at least four times faster than with limonene. Pure waste expanded polystyrene (WEP) was recovered with methanol and finally dried. All the essential oils were recovered and used again. The raw materials: WEP, the essential oils, and the recovered WEP were characterised using infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and thermal gravimetric analysis.