Adhesives for bead fusion of recycled expandable polystyrene

Expandable polystyrene (EPS) is a plastic cellular material that is commonly used in the packaging industry. Its growing uses have led to environmental concerns over resource sustainability and the dwindling availability of landfill spaces. Although existing approaches to control and manage EPS wastes are available, much effort is still needed to recycle as much of the used materials via developing new processes or applications. This article looks into a new approach using adhesives to promote EPS bead fusion. Two sets of test specimens made of 100% recycled EPS using spray adhesive and powder adhesive were investigated. Their mechanical behaviors of these two adhesive EPS samples were studied. These specimens were compared with the commercially available ones produced using steam injection molding and direct microwave molding. From the findings, the powder adhesive specimens were found to be quite comparable to the steam‐injected ones in terms of better cushioning property, shape definitions, smaller dimensional and density variations than those of sprayed adhesive and microwave ones. The results highlight that powder adhesive mixed with 100% recycled EPS offer a new “green” approach in EPS production with low initial capital outlay and shorter production lead time. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 456–462, 2002