Styrene Monomer
Styrene Monomer
Styrene Monomer is the most important monomers produced by the chemical industry today. Styrene Monomer is the base of plastic industry. The conventional method of producing styrene involves the alkylation of benzene with ethylene to produce ethylbenzene, followed by dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene. Styrene undergoes polymerization by all the common methods used in plastic technology to produce a wide variety of polymers and copolymers. Styrene is readily polymerized and copolymerized by mass polymerization, emulsion, suspension and solution processes. The most important products are solid polystyrene (PS), expandable polystyrene (EPS), styrene butadiene latex (SBL), acrylonitrile-butadiene- styrene/terpolymer (ABS), unsaturated polyester resins (UPR), and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR).
An approximate breakdown of styrene’s markets are:
- 54% solid polystyrene (PS)
- 8% expandable polystyrene (EPS)
- 8% styrene butadiene latex (SBL)
- 7% acrylonitrile-butadiene- styrene/terpolymer (ABS)
- 7% unsaturated polyester resins (UPR)
- 5% styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR)
