Fuel Came From Styrofoam

You know polystyrene foam - that thing we more commonly refer to as Styrofoam, otherwise known as the bane of recycling? Yes, THAT Styrofoam has recently been proven as an effective ingredient to up the efficiency and performance of biodiesel. And no, it's not April Fools all over again.


A study funded by the Department of Defense on finding ways to generate energy and recycle waste in the battlefield stumbled upon this gem of an information. The methodology used was quite elementary - the scientists merely dissolved Styrofoam with biodiesel in varying percentages (from 2 to 20 percent) and tested the fuel's performance. "A polystyrene cup will dissolve almost instantly in biodiesel, like a snowflake in water," says Song-Charng Kong, one of the researchers. The polystyrene material doesn't do quite well with other liquid fuels though.

Results are varying but one thing is clear - create a mixture of biodiesel with five percent of Styrofoam and you get an increase an output of the same rate. Unfortunately, any concentration beyond five percent and the fuel becomes too viscous, thereby negatively affecting performance. This limitation might be overcome in the future, or it might not, but fact remains that this discovery presents a possible and very agreeable option when it comes to recycling polystyrene foam in the garbage.