Styrofoam - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/Styrofoam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Styrofoam is a trademarked brand of closed-cell

extruded polystyrene foam currently made for
thermal insulation and craft applications. It is
owned and manufactured by The Dow Chemical
Company.[1]

In the United States and Canada, the word

styrofoam refers to expanded (not extruded)
polystyrene foam, such as disposable coffee
cups, coolers, or cushioning material in
packaging, which is typically white and is made
of expanded polystyrene beads.[1] The term is
used generically although it is a different Thermocol slabs made of expanded polystyrene beads. The one on
material from the extruded polystyrene used for the left is from a packing box. The one on the right is used for crafts.
It has a corky, papery texture and is used for stage decoration,
Styrofoam insulation. The Styrofoam brand
exhibition models, and sometimes as a cheap alternative to Shola
polystyrene foam, which is used for craft
(Aeschynomene aspera) stems for artwork.
applications, can be identified by its roughness
and the fact that it "crunches" when cut.
Additionally, it is moderately soluble in many
organic solvents, cyanoacrylate, and the propellants and solvents of spray paint. A tradename for polystyrene
foam is Thermocol, created by BASF for expanded polystyrene.

1 History
2 Uses
3 Environmental effects
3.1 Styrofoam-eating worms
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

In 1947,[2] researchers in Dow's Chemical Physics Lab found a way to make foamed polystyrene. Led by Ray
McIntire, they rediscovered a method first used by Swedish inventor Carl Georg Munters.[3] Dow acquired
exclusive rights to use Munters' patents and found ways to make large quantities of extruded polystyrene as a
closed cell foam that resists moisture.

Styrofoam is composed of 98% air, making it lightweight and buoyant.[4] Because of its insulating properties and

1 of 4 9/28/2017 7:17 PM
Styrofoam - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrofoam

buoyancy, it was adopted in 1942 by the United

States Coast Guard for use in a six-person life
raft.

Styrofoam has since found a variety of uses.

Dow produces Styrofoam building materials,
including varieties of building insulation
sheathing and pipe insulation. The claimed
R-value of Styrofoam insulation is five per
inch.[5]

Dow also produces Styrofoam as structural

insulated panels for use by florists and in craft
products.[6] Dow insulation Styrofoam has a
distinctive blue color; Styrofoam for craft
applications is available in white and green.

Styrofoam can be used under roads and other

structures to prevent soil disturbances due to
freezing and thawing.[7][8]
Section of a block of thermocol under a light microscope (bright-
field, objective = 10, eye piece = 15). The larger spheres are
expanded polystyrene beads which were compressed and fused
together. The bright, star-shaped hole at the center of the image is an
The EPA and International Agency for Research
air-gap between the beads where the bead margins have not
on Cancer consider styrene a possible human
completely fused. Each bead is made of thin-walled, air-filled
carcinogen.[9][10] The American National Bureau bubbles of polystyrene.
of Standards Center for Fire Research found 57
chemical by-products released during the
combustion of expanded polystyrene foam.[11] On July 1, 2015,
New York City became the largest city in America to attempt to
prohibit the sale, possession and distribution of single-use
polystyrene foam (the initial decision was overturned on
appeal).[12] In San Francisco, supervisors approved the toughest
ban on Styrofoam in the US which went into effect January 1,
2017. The city's Department of the Environment can make
exceptions for certain uses like shipping medicines at prescribed
temperatures.[13]

Styrofoam-eating worms Polystyrene waste at a Japanese fish market

In 2015, researchers discovered that mealworms, the larvae form

of the darkling beetle Tenebrio molitor, could digest and subsist healthily on a diet of Styrofoam.[14] About 100
mealworms could consume between 34 and 39 milligrams of Styrofoam in a day. The droppings of mealworm
were found to be safe for use as soil for crops.[14] Superworms (Zophobas morio) are also reported to eat
styrofoam.[15]

2 of 4 9/28/2017 7:17 PM
Styrofoam - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrofoam

List of generic and genericized trademarks

National Inventors Hall of Fame
Resin identification code
Structural insulated panel
Styrophone
Expanded polystyrene concrete

1. "STYROFOAM - It's Not a Cup" (http://www.styrofoamcrafts.com/en/its-not-a-cup) Dow Chemical

Company
2. "Patent US 2450436 A. Manufacture of cellular thermoplastic products" (https://www.google.com/patents
/US2450436).
3. Boundy, Ray H.; Amos, J. Lawrence (1991). A History of the Dow Chemical Physics Lab. New York:
Marcel Dekker, Inc. pp. 117128. ISBN 0-8247-8097-3.
4. "What is the Difference between EPS Polystyrene and (styrofoam)?" (http://www.forte-eps-solutions.com
/styrofoam-sheets-polystyrene-insulation-difference-new-jersey-new-york-ontario-quebec.html).
5. Dow Announces New Technology for STYROFOAM Insulation (http://building.dow.com/media
/news/2007/20071205a.htm)
6. "STYROFOAM Brand Foam Crafts" (http://craft.dow.com). Retrieved 2010-12-31.
7. "Geotechnical applications of Styrofoam" (http://building.dow.com/na/en/applications/geotech
/index.htm). Dow Chemical. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
8. "Engineering considerations when building on permafrost" (http://www.alaskool.org/resources/regional
/nw_reg_pro/permafrost.html). Retrieved 2007-08-30.
9. epa.gov (http://www.epa.gov/chemfact/styre-sd.pdf)
10. inchem.org (http://www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol82/82-07.html)
11. highcountryconservation.org (http://www.highcountryconservation.org
/pdf/The%20Facts%20on%20Styrofoam.pdf)
12. msnbc.com (http://www.msnbc.com/new-york-city-foam-ban-overturned)
13. "S.F. supervisors OK toughest ban on foam packaging in U.S." (http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea
/article/City-OKs-ban-on-Styrofoam-Jane-Kim-wants-to-play-8332796.php). Retrieved 2016-06-30.
14. Jordan, R. (29 September 2015). "Plastic-eating worms may offer solution to mounting waste, Stanford
researchers discover" (http://news.stanford.edu/pr/2015/pr-worms-digest-plastics-092915.html). Stanford
News Service. Stanford University. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
15. "Think you cant compost styrofoam? Mealworms are the answer!" (http://livingearthsystems.com
/mealworms-compost-styrofoam/). Blog. Living Earth Systems. Retrieved 4 January 2017.

Dow Chemical Company Styrofoam page (https://web.archive.org/web/20080324134328/http:

//building.dow.com/styrofoam/what.htm)
The Difference between Polystyrene & Styrofoam page (http://www.forte-eps-solutions.com/styrofoam-
sheets-polystyrene-insulation-difference-new-jersey-new-york-ontario-quebec.html)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Styrofoam&oldid=801605219"

3 of 4 9/28/2017 7:17 PM
Styrofoam - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrofoam

This page was last edited on 20 September 2017, at 18:16.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

4 of 4 9/28/2017 7:17 PM