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{{Short description|Trademarked brand for extruded polystyrene}}
{{two other uses|the Styrofoam brand|food containers|Foam food container|the musician|Styrofoam (musician)}}
{{about|the Styrofoam brand|other materials sometimes referred to as "Styrofoam"|extruded polystyrene foam|and|expanded polystyrene|other uses|Styrofoam (disambiguation)}}
]
'''Styrofoam''' is a ] brand of closed-cell ] (XPS), manufactured to provide continuous ] board used in walls, roofs, and foundations as ] and as a water barrier. This material is light blue in color and is owned and manufactured by ]. DuPont also has produced a line of green and white foam shapes for use in crafts and floral arrangements.<ref name="nocup">{{cite web|url=http://craft.dow.com/craft/about/cup.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051201163706/http://craft.dow.com/craft/about/cup.htm|title=You can't drink coffee from a STYROFOAM cup.|archive-date=2005-12-01|publisher=The Dow Chemical Company}}</ref>


]
'''Styrofoam''' is a ]ed brand of closed-cell ] currently made for ] and craft applications. It is owned and manufactured by ].<ref name="notacup"> Dow Chemical Company</ref>


The term ''styrofoam'' is often used in the United States as a colloquial term to refer to expanded (not extruded) ] (]).<ref name="gc">{{cite web |url= https://www.genericides.org/trademark/styrofoam|title= Has styrofoam become a generic trademark? |access-date= April 29, 2021 |website= genericides.org |date= 31 January 2020 }}</ref> Outside the United States, EPS is most commonly referred to as simply "polystyrene" with the term "styrofoam" being used in its capacity to describe all forms of extruded polystyrene, not just the Dupont brand itself. Polystyrene (EPS) is often used in ], coffee cups, and as ] material in ].<ref name="what-is-styrofoam">{{Cite web |date=March 24, 2008 |title=What is STYROFOAM? |url=http://building.dow.com/styrofoam/what.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080324134328/http://building.dow.com/styrofoam/what.htm |archive-date=2008-03-24}}</ref><ref name="nocup"/> Styrofoam is, however, a far less dense material than EPS and is more commonly suited to tasks such as thermal ].<ref name="gc"/>
In the ] and ], the word ''styrofoam'' incorrectly refers to expanded (not extruded) ], such as disposable coffee cups, coolers, or cushioning material in packaging, which is typically white and is made of expanded ] beads.<ref name="notacup"/> The ] although it is a different material from the extruded polystyrene used for Styrofoam insulation. The Styrofoam brand polystyrene foam, which is used for craft applications, can be identified by its roughness and the fact that it "crunches" when cut. Additionally, it is moderately soluble in many organic solvents, ], and the propellants and solvents of ]. Another tradename for polystyrene foam is ], originated by ] for expanded polystyrene.


Additionally, it is moderately soluble in many organic solvents, ], and the propellants and solvents of ].
⚫ ==History==


⚫ == History ==
In 1941, researchers in Dow's Chemical Physics Lab found a way to make foamed polystyrene. Led by ], they rediscovered a method first discovered by ] inventor ].<ref>{{cite book In the 1940s, researchers, originally at ]'s Chemical Physics Lab, led by ], found a way to make foamed ]. They rediscovered a method first used by ] inventor ], and obtained an exclusive license to Munters's ] in the United States.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Boundy
| first = Ray H. | last = Boundy
|author2=Amos, J. Lawrence | first = Ray H.
|author2=Amos, J. Lawrence
| title = A History of the Dow Chemical Physics Lab | title = A History of the Dow Chemical Physics Lab
| publisher = Marcel Dekker, Inc. | publisher = Marcel Dekker, Inc.
| year = 1991 | year = 1991
| location = New York | location = New York
| pages = 117–128 | pages = 117–128
| isbn = 0-8247-8097-3}}</ref> Dow found ways to adapt Munters's method to make large quantities of ] polystyrene as a closed cell foam that resists moisture. The patent on this adaptation was filed in 1947.<ref>{{cite patent |country=US |number=2450436 |status= |title=Manufacture of cellular thermoplastic products |pubdate=1948-10-05 |gdate=1948-10-05 |fdate=1947-07-26 |pridate= |inventor=Otis Ray McIntire |invent1= |invent2= |assign1= |assign2= |class= |url=}}</ref>
| isbn = 0-8247-8097-3}}</ref>
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.


==Uses== == Uses ==
Styrofoam is composed of 98% air, making it lightweight and buoyant.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.polystyrenerecycle.com/how_is_eps_made.html|title= How is Polystyrene (styrofoam) made?|publisher=StyroMelt|accessdate=2012-06-23}}</ref> Because of its insulating properties and buoyancy, it was adopted in 1942 by the ] for use in a six-person ].


Styrofoam has a variety of uses. Styrofoam is composed of 98% air, making it lightweight and buoyant.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.forte-eps-solutions.com/styrofoam-sheets-polystyrene-insulation-difference-new-jersey-new-york-ontario-quebec.html|title= What is the Difference between EPS Polystyrene and (styrofoam)?}}</ref>
Styrofoam has since found a variety of uses. Dow produces Styrofoam building materials, including varieties of insulated sheathing and pipe insulation. The claimed ] of Styrofoam insulation is five per inch.<ref></ref>


DuPont produces styrofoam building materials, including varieties of ] sheathing and pipe insulation. The claimed ] of styrofoam insulation is approximately 5 °F⋅ft<sup>2</sup>⋅h/BTU for 1 inch thick sheet.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dow Announces New Technology for STYROFOAM Insulation |url=http://building.dow.com/media/news/2007/20071205a.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812230057/http://building.dow.com/media/news/2007/20071205a.htm |archive-date=2011-08-12}}</ref>
⚫ Dow also produces Styrofoam as a structural material for use by ]s and in craft products.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://craft.dow.com|title=STYROFOAM Brand Foam Crafts|accessdate=2010-12-31}}
</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://building.dow.com/na/en/applications/geotech/index.htm|title=Geotechnical applications of Styrofoam|publisher = Dow Chemical|accessdate=2009-10-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alaskool.org/resources/regional/nw_reg_pro/permafrost.html|title=Engineering considerations when building on permafrost|accessdate=2007-08-30}}</ref> Styrofoam can be used under roads and other structures to prevent soil disturbances due to freezing and thawing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://building.dow.com/na/en/applications/geotech/index.htm|title=Geotechnical applications of Styrofoam|publisher = Dow Chemical| access-date=2009-10-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alaskool.org/resources/regional/nw_reg_pro/permafrost.html|title=Engineering considerations when building on permafrost|access-date=2007-08-30}}</ref>


⚫ DuPont also produces styrofoam blocks and other shapes for use by ]s and in craft products.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://craft.dow.com|title=STYROFOAM Brand Foam Crafts| access-date=2010-12-31}}</ref> DuPont insulation styrofoam has a distinctive blue color; styrofoam for craft applications is available in white and green.<ref name="nocup"/>
⚫ ==Environmental effects==
The EPA and International Agency for Research on Cancer have determined styrene as a possible human carcinogen.<ref>http://www.epa.gov/chemfact/styre-sd.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol82/82-07.html</ref> The National Bureau of Standards Center for Fire Research found 57 chemical by-products released during the combustion of expanded polystyrene foam.<ref>http://www.highcountryconservation.org/pdf/The%20Facts%20on%20Styrofoam.pdf</ref> From July 1, 2015 ] is the largest city in America to prohibit the sale, possession and distribution of single-use polystyrene foam.<ref>http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/new-york-citys-styrofoam-ban-goes-effect</ref>


⚫ == Environmental issues ==
===Styrofoam-eating worms===
The ] and ] reported limited evidence that ] is ]ic for humans and ]s, meaning that there is a positive ] between exposure and cancer and that causality is credible, but that other explanations cannot be confidently excluded.<ref>{{cite web
Recently, researches discovered that ], the larvae form of the darkling beetle, could digest and subsist healthily on a diet of Styrofoam.<ref>http://news.stanford.edu/pr/2015/pr-worms-digest-plastics-092915.html</ref> 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.
|title = (Styrene) Fact Sheet: Support Document (CAS No. 100-42-5)
|url = http://www.epa.gov/chemfact/styre-sd.pdf |date = December 1994
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924043958/http://www.epa.gov/chemfact/styre-sd.pdf |archive-date= 24 September 2015 |access-date = 8 January 2020
|website = ]
}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web
|title = STYRENE (Group 2B)
|url = http://www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol82/82-07.html |year = 2002 |access-date = 8 January 2020
|website = ]
}}</ref>


See also the expansive list of ], among which it being non-biodegradable.
⚫ ==See also==

⚫ == See also ==
* ] * ]
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==References== == References ==
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist}}

==External links==
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Latest revision as of 22:00, 13 November 2024

Trademarked brand for extruded polystyrene This article is about the Styrofoam brand. For other materials sometimes referred to as "Styrofoam", see extruded polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene. For other uses, see Styrofoam (disambiguation).
Styrofoam insulation extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), owned and manufactured by DuPont

Styrofoam is a genericized trademarked brand of closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), manufactured to provide continuous building insulation board used in walls, roofs, and foundations as thermal insulation and as a water barrier. This material is light blue in color and is owned and manufactured by DuPont. DuPont also has produced a line of green and white foam shapes for use in crafts and floral arrangements.

Worker installing styrofoam frost protection insulation board.

The term styrofoam is often used in the United States as a colloquial term to refer to expanded (not extruded) polystyrene foam (EPS). Outside the United States, EPS is most commonly referred to as simply "polystyrene" with the term "styrofoam" being used in its capacity to describe all forms of extruded polystyrene, not just the Dupont brand itself. Polystyrene (EPS) is often used in food containers, coffee cups, and as cushioning material in packaging. Styrofoam is, however, a far less dense material than EPS and is more commonly suited to tasks such as thermal insulation.

Additionally, it is moderately soluble in many organic solvents, cyanoacrylate, and the propellants and solvents of spray paint.

History

In the 1940s, researchers, originally at Dow's Chemical Physics Lab, led by Ray McIntire, found a way to make foamed polystyrene. They rediscovered a method first used by Swedish inventor Carl Georg Munters, and obtained an exclusive license to Munters's patent in the United States. Dow found ways to adapt Munters's method to make large quantities of extruded polystyrene as a closed cell foam that resists moisture. The patent on this adaptation was filed in 1947.

Uses

Styrofoam has a variety of uses. Styrofoam is composed of 98% air, making it lightweight and buoyant.

DuPont produces styrofoam building materials, including varieties of building insulation sheathing and pipe insulation. The claimed R-value of styrofoam insulation is approximately 5 °F⋅ft⋅h/BTU for 1 inch thick sheet.

Styrofoam can be used under roads and other structures to prevent soil disturbances due to freezing and thawing.

DuPont also produces styrofoam blocks and other shapes for use by florists and in craft products. DuPont insulation styrofoam has a distinctive blue color; styrofoam for craft applications is available in white and green.

Environmental issues

The EPA and International Agency for Research on Cancer reported limited evidence that styrene is carcinogenic for humans and experimental animals, meaning that there is a positive association between exposure and cancer and that causality is credible, but that other explanations cannot be confidently excluded.

See also the expansive list of environmental issues of polystyrene, among which it being non-biodegradable.

See also

References

  1. ^ "You can't drink coffee from a STYROFOAM cup". The Dow Chemical Company. Archived from the original on 2005-12-01.
  2. ^ "Has styrofoam become a generic trademark?". genericides.org. 31 January 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  3. "What is STYROFOAM?". March 24, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-03-24.
  4. Boundy, Ray H.; Amos, J. Lawrence (1991). A History of the Dow Chemical Physics Lab. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. pp. 117–128. ISBN 0-8247-8097-3.
  5. US 2450436, Otis Ray McIntire, "Manufacture of cellular thermoplastic products", published 1948-10-05, issued 1948-10-05 
  6. "What is the Difference between EPS Polystyrene and (styrofoam)?".
  7. "Dow Announces New Technology for STYROFOAM Insulation". Archived from the original on 2011-08-12.
  8. "Geotechnical applications of Styrofoam". Dow Chemical. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  9. "Engineering considerations when building on permafrost". Retrieved 2007-08-30.
  10. "STYROFOAM Brand Foam Crafts". Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  11. "(Styrene) Fact Sheet: Support Document (CAS No. 100-42-5)" (PDF). EPA. December 1994. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  12. "STYRENE (Group 2B)". INCHEM. 2002. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
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