WO2001004192A1 - Volume-reducing agent for polystyrene foam - Google Patents

Abstract

A volume-reducing agent for polystyrene foams which influences neither the human body nor the environment and is convenient. The volume-reducing agent is obtained by adding to a solvent for polystyrene foams an insolubilizing agent in which polystyrene foams are insoluble but which is soluble in the solvent for polystyrene foams. Upon contact with the volume-reducing agent, a polystyrene foam becomes a curdy matter floating thereon without dissolving in the volume-reducing agent. By cleansing the curdy matter, a raw polystyrene material can be obtained from which a polystyrene foam can be regenerated.

Description

 Description Styrofoam volume reducing agent

Technical field

 The present invention relates to a novel polystyrene foam volume reducing agent capable of increasing the volume of polystyrene foam and obtaining a polystyrene mass that can be reused as a raw material for polystyrene, and a polystyrene mass using the volume reducing agent. It relates to a manufacturing method. Conventional technology

 Recently, many attempts have been made to recycle Styrofoam in preparation for the enforcement of the Recycling Law. The most classic of these is burning in incineration plants. In this case, the styrofoam itself does not contain chlorine, but after use with fresh foods and the like, a large amount of chlorine-containing dirt components are attached, which is not good because it causes dioxin generation.

 Next, there is a method of heating and crushing with pressure. This method is currently the most widely used method and is reproduced on the outer part of the cassette tape. However, this method is enormous; it requires equipment and high heat, so it is limited to business sites that must process styrofoam of more than a few tons per day, and degradation of polystyrene due to heating There is a problem that this will occur. Furthermore, the quality of the reclaimed material is inferior because it is dissolved with garbage mixed. Construction of huge facilities that can withstand high temperatures and decompression also requires enormous costs.

Secondly, it is known that many petroleum-based organic solvents, such as acetate and ethyl acetate, strongly dissolve styrofoam and exert their capacity. Attempted. However, when attempting to dissolve styrofoam using these compounds, there is a concern that the volatile components may have a significant effect on the environment. Furthermore, it is difficult to separate the petroleum organic solvent and polystyrene after dissolution. In addition, petroleum-based organic solvents have a unique odor, and may be subject to opposition from residents near the volume reduction facility.In addition, volatile components may have harmful effects on the human body Many. Under such circumstances, the limones are separated from the skin of citrus fruits, especially mikan and lemon. Recently, it has attracted attention. Dissolution of styrofoam by limonene is excellent because the styrofoam is dissolved in the entire limonene solution to reduce the volume, and the smell is also a favorable fragrance. It is a method. However, the cost of limonene is still high, and the huge blunt of more than several hundred million yen is required because the conditions of 240 ° C and reduced pressure are required to separate limonene from the dissolved polystyrene foam. It has the problem that it is necessary. In addition, polystyrene foam dissolves in the entire limonene solution, so that trash is mixed in during the dissolution, and remains until the final step, making it difficult to remove and causing quality deterioration.

 In order to meet the above demand, the present invention first provides a volume reducing agent used for recycling styrofoam, which has no effect on the human body and the environment, does not require a huge plant, and can be adopted economically. That is the task. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for obtaining polystyrene which can be reused as a polystyrene raw material by using the volume reducing agent. In the volume reducing agent of the present invention, the compound to be used aims to solve the problem by using components existing in the body of the animal or plant as much as possible. By doing so, it is possible to develop a styrofoam reducing agent that does not accumulate in the environment, that is, has little effect on the environment.

 As a result of diligent research efforts to achieve the above-mentioned object, a novel polystyrene foam volume reducing agent was found in which a polystyrene foam insolubilizer was added to a polystyrene foam solubilizer at room temperature. Specifically, a new polystyrene foam dissolving agent was added to the polystyrene foam dissolving agent, which contains a component (insolubilizing agent) that has no dissolving effect on polystyrene foam, but is mixed well with the polystyrene foam dissolving agent and is mutually soluble. did. When styrofoam is brought into contact with the novel styrofoam volume reducing agent of the present invention, the styrofoam does not dissolve, and bubbles are released from the surface, eventually becoming mochi and reducing the volume to one-tenth of a volume. Floating inside. The phenomenon that the volume is reduced in the shape of a rice cake is first discovered by the present inventors.

This floating rice cake-like material is a polystyrene mass itself, and can be a plastic raw material that can be used for various purposes by a simple operation. Also foam Since styrene does not dissolve, it has the distinct advantage of being very easy to separate from the excipient. In addition, when the 'concentrating agent' of the present invention is used, dust is separated without being caught in the polystyrene mass, so that a high-quality polystyrene mass can be obtained without the dust being mixed into the styrene foam mass. It also has the advantage of being able to. In this way, it is possible to regenerate plastic raw materials without requiring large equipment and costs.

 In addition, the new styrene foam volume reducer does not dissolve the polystyrene in the solution, so it is very economical to take out the moist polystyrene mass and then replenish the solution. The rice cake-like polystyrene mass does not dissolve in the new polystyrene foam reducing agent, so the new polystyrene foam reducing agent is hardly contained in the mass, and this is economical. On the other hand, the styrofoam lump has a soft rice cake shape due to the effect of a small volume reducing agent, and is very easy to handle.

 The principle of this method was also discovered as a result of intensive research with much effort.However, in the new styrofoam volume reducing agent, the instantaneous level on the styrofoam surface at the microscopic level is instantaneous. The air in the styrofoam is released due to the dissolving effect of the polystyrene, but the polystyrene cannot be dissolved in the solution immediately due to the effect of the surrounding insolubilizing agent, and all the air is released as a unit. However, as a result, it is presumed that rice cakes are formed.

 The styrene foam dissolving agent contained in the new styrene foam volume reducer is also known as knot katone, which is mainly extracted from grapefruit skin. For example, published by Hirokawa Shoten See page 114 of “Chemical Natural Product Chemistry.” Sesquiterpenes represented by), monoterpenes represented by limonene mainly contained in oranges and lemons, monoethyl ene, ethyl acetate, ethyl ethyl formate, ethyl ethyl butyrate And the like, and ketones such as acetone, etc., and include compounds that exert a dissolving action on styrene foam and the above-mentioned mixtures.

Examples of insolubilizers include ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, amide alcohol, decyl alcohol, lauryl alcohol, arylene alcohol, and myristyl alcohol. , Tri-decinolenolecole, cetylanoreconole, isobutinore alcohol, isoaminoreole Any one of alcohols such as alcohol or a mixture of two or more thereof may be used, or any of pentane, hexane, octane, nonane, decane, pendecane, dodecane, etc. It is also possible to use hydrocarbons of the above or a mixture of two or more of them. .

 In particular, a preferred combination of a solubilizing agent and an insolubilizing agent is a combination of knotcatone and ethyl alcohol or hexane.

 The volume reducing agent and the styrofoam may be contacted by any method. For example, when Styrofoam is pressed into contact with a container containing a volume reducing agent at the bottom, the Styrofoam gradually reduces its volume to a rice cake. A small amount of the preservative used, for example, about 1/5 with respect to the volume of styrofoam, is sufficient.

 The obtained rice cake is washed in an insolubilizing agent, and then dried to obtain a polystyrene mass that can be reused as a raw material.

 All of these steps can be performed at room temperature. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

 The grapefruit peel extract containing knotcaton as the main component as a styrofoam dissolver is 100 to 900 (volume ratio) of ethyl alcohol as the insolubilizer to 100 (the ratio between the solubilizer and the insolubilizer is all The styrene foam volume reducing agent (1) was prepared by adding 50 to 300, preferably 100, and more preferably 100. The polystyrene foam reducing agent (1) was converted into a rice cake without dissolving the polystyrene foam.

 The attached garbage was suspended in the volume reducing agent without being taken into the polystyrene mass.

 The rice cake-shaped polystyrene is washed with ethyl alcohol and dried to form a hard polystyrene mass, which can be reused as a raw material for polystyrene.

 The styrene foam solvent-reducing solvent of this formulation is excellent because all components have no adverse effects on the environment and the human body.

Next, grape flu with knotcaton as the main component as a polystyrene dissolving agent A styrene foam volume reducing agent (2) was prepared by adding 10 to 900, preferably 50 to 300, and more preferably 100 of hexane as an insolubilizing agent to 100 of the skin extract. The polystyrene foam volume reducing agent (2) was also converted into a rice cake without dissolving the polystyrene foam. A polystyrene mass was obtained by washing with hexane and drying.

 Ethyl acetate is then used as a styrofoam volume reducer, and ethyl alcohol 10 to 900, preferably 50 to 300, and more preferably 100 is added, with ethyl acetate being 100, and styrofoam volume reducer (3) is added. It was created. The polystyrene foam volume reducing agent (3) was also converted into a rice cake without dissolving the polystyrene foam, and then washed with ethyl alcohol or the like and dried to obtain a polystyrene mass. In the case of petroleum organic solvents such as ethyl acetate, adverse effects on the environment and the human body are expected, so the use of this volume reducer (3) should be compared to the styrene foam volume reducers (1) and (2). Although it is not preferable, the styrene foam volume reducer obtained based on the principle of the present method does not dissolve the styrene foam and floats the polystyrene mass as glutinous material, so that it is not necessary to handle the entire volume reducer. Thus, the release of ethyl acetate to the environment can be reduced to a fraction of that in the dissolution method.

 In addition, as styrene foam dissolving agent, sesquiterpenes, monoterpenes, ethyl esters such as ethyl formate and ethyl butyrate, and ketones such as aceton are set to 100 or a mixture thereof is set to 100. And an insolubilizer which can be dissolved in the compound, for example, methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, amyl alcohol, decyl alcohol, lauryl alcohol, aryl alcohol, Alcohols such as ristyl alcohol, tridecyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, and isoamino alcohol, or carbonized one of pentane, octane, nonane, decane, pendecane, dodecyne, etc. 10 to 900, preferably 50 to 300, such as hydrogen Can be added to create the polystyrene foam volume reducing agent of the present invention.

 【Example】

 Examples are shown below, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

 The knottons used in the examples were manufactured as follows.

The grapefruit was peeled for 6 skins and hung on a mixer. Then two liters 500 ml of hexane was added into a beaker, mixed well, and allowed to stand for one day. After filtration, the grapefruit skin was further washed with 1 liter of hexane and filtered. Subsequently, hexane was distilled off under reduced pressure at about 40 ° C. to obtain a crude extract of 12 ml of knot power in a container.

 [Example 1]

 An insolubilizer, ethyl alcohol 100, was added to a grapefruit skin extract 100, mainly composed of knot power as a polystyrene foam dissolving agent, to prepare a polystyrene foam-capacitor.

 This polystyrene foam-reducing solvent was converted into a rice cake without dissolving the polystyrene foam. The polystyrene mass obtained by removing the rice cake and bringing it into contact with ethyl alcohol had an original styrene foam volume reduced to 1/50. The styrofoam reducing agent of this formulation is excellent because all ingredients have no adverse effects on the environment and the human body.

 [Example 2]

 A styrene foam reducing agent was prepared by adding 100 of an insolubilizing agent, hexane, to 100 grapefruit skin extract containing knotcatone as a main component of a polystyrene foam dissolving agent. The styrene foam volume reducer also changed to a rice cake without dissolving the styrene foam. .

 The dust attached to any of these polystyrene foam volume reducing agents was not taken in the polystyrene mass, but was suspended in the solvent.

 [Embodiment 3]

 Ethyl acetate was used as a polystyrene foam volume reducer, and ethyl alcohol 100 was added, with the ethyl acetate being 100, to prepare a polystyrene foam volume reducer. This styrofoam volume reducing agent was also converted to a rice cake without dissolving styrofoam.

Industrial applicability

The polystyrene foam volume reducing agent of the present invention can be used as a raw material only by dissolving polystyrene foam in the volume reducing agent and suspending it in the form of a rice cake, taking out the suspended polystyrene mass, washing with the insolubilizing agent, and drying. Because polystyrene is obtained, recycling of styrene foam is achieved without the need for a huge plant. Also negative effects on human body and environment The above object can be achieved without any effect.

Claims

A styrofoam reducing agent obtained by mixing a styrofoam dissolving agent with a solvent having no dissolving effect on styrofoam but dissolving in the styrofoam dissolving agent.  Claims wherein knotton or limonene is used as the polystyrene foam dissolving agent. 2. The styrene foam volume reducing agent according to 1.  As a polystyrene foam dissolving agent, one compound of esquiterpenes, monoterpenes, ethyl esters such as ethyl formate and ethyl butyrate and ketones such as acetone, or two kinds of these compounds The polystyrene foaming agent according to claim 1, wherein said mixture is used.  Solvents that do not dissolve Styrofoam but dissolve in Styrofoam dissolving agents, such as ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, amyl alcohol, decyl alcohol, and lauryl. A compound or a mixture of two or more of alcohols such as alcohol, arinoreanocol, myristyl alcohol, tridecylanorecohol, cetyl alcohol, isobutyl anolecohol, and isoamyl alcohol; 4. The styrofoam according to claim 1, wherein any one of hydrocarbons such as pentane, hexane, octane, nonane, decane, pendecane and dodecane or a mixture of two or more thereof is used. · Containers.  5. The styrofoam 'capacitor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising 100 to 900 volumes of a solvent having no dissolving effect on styrofoam with respect to 100 volumes of the dissolving agent.  A method for obtaining a polystyrene mass reusable as a polystyrene raw material, comprising contacting the polystyrene foam with the polystyrene foam reducing agent according to claim 1.