Development of adhesive from polystyrene waste

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to develop adhesive from waste polystyrene, which has the capacity to both reduce environmental pollution and create wealth from waste. Methods: Polystyrene waste was obtained from waste heap “bola” around Jimeta metropolis, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria. The polystyrene waste was washed and dried. The washed waste was used to formulate adhesive using various solvents such as toluene, gasoline, blend of gasoline and toluene, and blend of gasoline and acetone. The formulated adhesives were characterized by study some physical properties of the formulated adhesive, such as; viscosity, bond strength, pH, solid content, moisture content and drying time. Results: The adhesive formulated from the blend of toluene and acetone gave the best performance from the physical properties. The adhesive from blend of toluene and acetone as solvent was then selected for application on different surfaces such as plastic, plywood, aluminum, glass and ceramic. The Bond strength of the selected adhesive was measured on these surfaces as follows; plastic (6.74 MPa), ceramics (5.9 MPa), glass (5.9 MPa), plywood (7.04 MPa) and aluminum sheet (0.76 MPa). The pH of the adhesive was 6.58, viscosity;467, drying time; 2.44minutes, solid content (% SC); 90.62 % and the moisture content (% MC) of the adhesive was 9.38 %. The adhesive on optimization, established that increase in concentration of polyvinyl acetate impact greatly on the bond strength of the adhesive. Glycerol was used as plasticizer that improved the flexibility of the adhesive but it raises the moisture content (% MC) of the adhesive. Conclusion: It was concluded that creation of wealth while reducing environmental pollution, through production of environmentally friendly adhesive from waste plastics, is a viable task. This research hereby introduces a new adhesive to the adhesive industry