METHOD FOR RECOVERING STYRENE FROM POLYSTYRENE

• Main Authors: MORIOKA YOSHIO, UENO AKISHI, SAKATA YUKIHIKO, NISHIO SUEHIRO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 19.03.1996
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F,C08G; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE; FUELS; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS; LUBRICANTS; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; METALLURGY; MINERAL WAXES; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PEAT; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BESHAPED; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVEHYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECLAMATION OF CONTAMINED SOIL SOIL; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, ORGASES; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIALCONTAINING PLASTICS; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL; WORKING-UP

PURPOSE: To enable simple and efficient recovery of styrene, making a contribution to the recycle of waste macromolecular materials, by using a basic metal oxide catalyst or a catalyst in which the basic oxide is supported on a heat- resistant oxide powder. CONSTITUTION: The reactor 1 equipped with the nitrogen-introducing pipe 5, the piping 9 and the electric furnace 6 is filled with crushed polystyrene at its bottom and a stainless steel mesh 3 is placed on the crushed polystyrene. The stainless steel mesh is allowed to hold a single basic metal oxide catalyst, 2 or more basic metal oxide catalysts or a solid metal oxide catalyst (such as sodium oxide) supporting one of these catalyst on a heat-resistant oxide powder such as alumina or the like. A nitrogen gas is flown out of the pipe 5 into the bottom of the reactor 1 and the vapor of the polystyrene fused is carried to the catalyst layer, the decomposed product vapor is condensed in the cooling tube and collected in the trap 8 whereby styrene is simply and efficiently recovered from polystyrene.