Department of Petrochemical

College of Technical Engineering

Duhok Polytechnic University
Petrochemical lab.
𝟑𝒅 Year Level

Name of student: Muhammad Akram.. Muhammad Star.. Ranko

nawzad..Rebaz Kamil

Group: A

Name of experiment: thermal degradation of polystyrene

No. of experiment: 1

Date: 16/10/2017
Discussion:
Polystyrene is a light weight plastic derived from petroleum by-products and
natural gas. Although best known for its use in the packaging industry, most
polystyrene is used to make durable goods, such as television cabinets, appliances,
and furniture. Polymers are large, Polystyrene without additional compounds was
treated in a laboratory oven at elevated temperatures (80 degrees, 130 degrees, 200
degrees C) under slight air flow (0.7 l/min). The thermal degradation products
appearing in different phases (gases, vapors, aerosols) were collected and analyzed
by methods of chromatography. Thermogravimetric analysis showed the thermal
degradation of the polymer to begin at 270 degrees C in air and stop at 425 degrees
C. The large amount of aerosol that appeared may also be of practical importance
chain-like molecules composed of multiple repeating units of smaller molecules,
called monomers, which have been joined together by a chemical reaction. All
polymers can be classified into two main categories based on the nature of the
chemical reaction by which they are made. Addition polymers are formed when
organic compounds containing one or more C=C double bonds add to each other.
Addition reactions typically require a catalyst to initiate the reaction, but once a
reaction starts, it will continue as a chain reaction until thousands of monomer
units have been added together. Condensation polymers are formed when two
monomers with different functional groups combine to form a new functional
group