You could be the lucky winner if you guess the correct answer to this question. Here are some clues:
"Styrofoam" (Expanded Polystyrene/EPS) is:
- 98% air
- 1/10th as dense as water (density ranges from 1.0 to 4.0 pcf)
While you work out the math, have a look at this great video of a styrofoam recycling machine!
2 comments:
Very cool video. I wonder how much energy is required to recycle compared to producing it new.
THe biggest energy cost is assembling enough of the material to make recycling practical. Note that the process illustrated in the video is reducing the volume so they will ship PS instead of air. (The other barrier to recycling is the ridiculously low prices of virgin plastic resin ~ the crumbs that fall of the table where oil is refined to make gasoline for SUVs...)
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