NAKHON RATCHASIMA — Suranaree University of Technology launched on June 6 the research and innovation results for the project “Changing white PS foam waste into lightweight construction materials.” It was conducted by Asst. Prof. Dr. Uthai Meekham, a lecturer in the Department of Design Technology at the School of Engineering, Suranaree University of Technology.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Uthai utilized PS white foam waste, commonly used in various industries as cushioning for package transportation. The foam went through a two-step grinding process. The first step involved grinding the foam to the size of a marble and then further grinding it to the size of tiny grains of sand. The second step involved coating the fine foam pellets with glue, which attached to the foam beads.
The foam beads coated with glue and mixed with fly ash from industrial plants prevent clumping. The resulting material looks like small pebbles and can be used in engineering construction materials. It can be moulded into various shapes, such as bricks, blocks, and lightweight bricks.
The innovative material was developed as floor and wall tiles in laboratory experiments, with added color and aesthetic appeal. It retains strength while being lighter compared to standard ratios, making it a novel option for lightweight construction materials.
The amount of waste, mainly plastic, Styrofoam, and various packaging materials that decompose slowly, grows annually. Disposal methods for these wastes often incur high costs. This innovation explicitly targets white foam waste, a type of POLYSTYRENE (PS) foam used for cushioning and cooling boxes, which has consistently increased in volume.
Therefore, the researchers had an idea to transform white foam waste according to the principles of “LIGHTWEIGHT PRODUCT DESIGN APPLICATIONS.”
They used waste materials from the industrial sector or packaging molded from commonly found white foam that can be upcycled to create a new type of “LIGHTWEIGHT ENGINEERED” material with special properties suitable for the construction industry.
Its outstanding feature is the capacity to adjust its style, size, and shape to suit various needs, such as creating tiled walkway surfaces. These artificial sandstone wall panels are used in building decoration as a substitute for gravel and sand, and the material is also used to produce lightweight plant pots through casting processes.
The benefits of this innovation are:
- It is capable of managing large quantities of foam waste that need to go through a recycling process to be reused. Although it involves higher costs than other plastic types, transitioning from waste to new upcycling will decrease the build-up of foam waste and increase the cycle of reusing it.
- It helps obtain lightweight construction materials that can be created in various forms, not limited to just blocks or bricks. The material should enable collaboration to design items best suited for their intended use. For example, it could be used to create large lightweight plant pots for urban areas or to incorporate them into tall office buildings and residential condos.
- Lastly, it can be further developed for commercial use and lead to career opportunities, especially for small to medium community enterprises, as the production cost is low. The main raw materials, such as leftover white foam waste, cheap fly ash from industrial plants, coating glues, and molding and grinding-compacting machines, are largely available within the country. This could be another way to generate income for the community.
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