Polystyrene

Polystyrene is a form of chemical compound that is mainly used for a wide variety of packaging. It is an aromatic polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is manufactured from petroleum by the petrochemical industry. Polystyrene is one of the most widely used plastics, the scale being several billion kilograms per year.

Polystyrene can be in either a thermoset or a thermoplastic form.

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Many styrene molecules bond together to make a polystyrene molecule. The squiggly lines show that the long polystyrene molecule goes on farther at both ends.

Polystyrene Media

• Expanded polystyrene foam dunnage.jpg

  Expanded polystyrene packaging

• Envase de yogur.jpg

  A polystyrene yogurt container

• Poliestireno.JPG

  Polystyrene is flammable, and releases large amounts of black smoke upon burning.

• 201904 Man carrying polystyrene boxes in Guiyang, China.jpg

  Expanded polystyrene is lightweight. This is a man in Guiyang, China carrying a lot of expanded polystyrene packaging.

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  The figure shows structural formulas and basic properties of the three types of polystyrene differing by their tacticity.

• Caja de CD.jpg

  CD case made from general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS)

• Maquinilla de afeitar desechable.JPG

  Disposable polystyrene razor

• Polistirolo.JPG

  Closeup of expanded polystyrene packaging