TABLE OF CONTENTS Andrew Barnetson
Expanded polystyrene (EPS) has rightly taken its place in modern society as an important material in, for example, insulation in construction applications and as a packaging material for a wide range of industrial appliances and foodstuffs.
Throughout this chapter we will consider the product in its many forms, looking at the origins of EPS with its development by BASF in 1950 and the manufacturing process, which is similar for both construction and packaging applications. Applications will be considered for both the construction and packaging industries and the broad global structure of the industry will be discussed. Key issues will be addressed for both the construction and packaging industries.
It should be noted that throughout this chapter we refer solely to a specific product belonging to the family of polystyrenes recognised within the industry as EPS . Other expanded polystyrenes such as extruded polystyrene , which is used solely in the construction industry, and polystyrene paper , the material used to make trays for wrapping small portions of foodstuffs and which we usually see at the supermarket, will not be covered here. Confusingly, both of these types of polystyrene are referred to by the abbreviation XPS.
Over half a century ago, EPS was first produced experimentally by chemists at BASF. A patent was awarded to Stastny and G th in February 1950 for the process of producing porous masses from polymers and this became the basis for the production of EPS.
The earliest opportunities for...
