WASTE STYROFOAM

TECHNICAL FI ELD

This disclosure generally relates to apparatus, systems, and methods for processing waste styrofoam. More particularly, this disclosure pertains to a mobile apparatus for travel between locations having accumulations of waste styrofoam. The mobile apparatus contains: (i) onboard equipment for on-site melting and processing of waste styrofoam into extruded densified styrofoam ingots, and (ii) an onboard storage facility for transport of the densified styrofoam ingots away from the locations.

BACKGROUND

The term "styrofoam" is used generically to refer to materials comprising expanded polystyrene foams made from polystyrene beads and which are rigid and tough closed-cell foams. Such materials are also commonly referred as expanded polystyrene (EPS) and are physically different from extruded closed- cell polystyrene materials which are known by the trademarked brand STYROFOAM ^® (STYROFOAM is a registered trademark of the Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Ml, USA).

EPS styrofoams can be extruded or injection molded to to produce a wide variety of articles that have many applications such as trays, plates, bowls, fish boxes, protective padding (e.g., helmets), insulating materials, and the like. EPS styrofoams are commonly molded into slabs having smooth outer surfaces and three-dimensionally contoured inner surfaces for cushioning fragile items inside boxes or other containers. Alternatively, fragile items can be protected during shipping in boxes, by filling the boxes with loose-fill protective packaging EPS peanuts. EPS styrofoams can also be molded into rigid panels known as "bead- board" for use in construction as insulating materials. It is also possible to mold EPS styrofoams into large non-load-bearing three-dimensional architectural structures such as ornamental pillars, with surfaces that can be worked and refined to provide intricate details.

EPS styrofoams and extruded styrofoams are particularly useful because they composed of about 98% air making them lightweight. Styrofoam articles are typically physically stable at higher temperatures (i.e., they do not melt or deform in high temperatures or in conditions where temperatures fluctuate significantly) and are known for their insulating properties.

There are significant environmental probles with discarded articles comprising EPS styrofoams and extruded styrofoams. Polystyrene is generally non-biodegradable and is considered a significant waste disposal problem for molded EPS protective slabs used to protect consumer products packed in boxes and for loose-fill EPS peanuts. Discarded industrial, commercial, constructions, retail, household EPS styrofoam products are very lightweight and therefore, unprofitable for commercial collection and transport to waste recycling facilities. Furthermore, recycling of EPS and extruded styrofoams presents technical challenges because the physico-chemical properties of these materials. Recycling objectives are focused on recovery of individual expanded polystyrene beads through grinding, or alternatively, recovery of the styrene monomers by dissolving the styrofoams in solvents. However, because they are very lightweight, grinding such materials creates particulate materials that are easily scattered by light air currents.

There is equipment designed for recycling EPS styrofoam in large waste receiving/recycling facilities. One example is an EPS densifier developed and commercialized by GREENMAX ^® (GREENMAX is a registered trademark of Basic International Inc., Chino, CA, USA). The GREENMAX ^® EPS densifier crushes EPS materials into small particles that are then washed, de-gassed, and then dewatered in a cyclone drier. The washed, degassed, and dried EPS particles are then granulated by sequential passage through an extruder feed section, a compression section, a metering section, and finally through a filter to produce compacted blocks of compressed EPS granules. The compacted blocks of compressed EPS granules GREENMAX ^® EPS densifier occupy 1/40 volume of the original EPS waste materials. However, the GREENMAX ^® EPS densifier is suited for large-scale throughput of EPS waste materials in large municipal or industrial waste recycling facilities.

SUMMARY

The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to an over-road mobile apparatus for travel between different locations within a geographical region to process waste styroform into highly densified styrofoam ingots that are reduced in physical volume by over 75%.

On embodiment relates for a commercial truck frame, running gear, and cab to which has been fitted a cargo box. The cargo box is partitioned into a forward room and a rear room. The rear room is configured into four zones wherein zone 1 is adjacent the rear door for the cargo box and has installed therein a waste styrofoam hot-melt equipment. Zone 2 is a workspace/passage way/storage space adjacent to zone 1 at the rear of the rear room. Zone 3 is an area at the front portion of the rear room that is configured for housing two sets or three sets or four sets or more sets of two 4-ft by 4-ft pallets (1 .22 m by 1 .22 m) side-by-side. Zone 4 is a walk way separating zone 3 from zones 1 and 2. An electrical generator to power the waste styrofoam hot-melt equipment is mounted into the forward room of the cargo box.

The over-road mobile apparatus may travel to and between locations within a geographical region for on-site processing of waste styrofoam into highly densified extruded styrofoam ingots. When at a location where an accumulation of waste styrofoam has occurred, the operator of the mobile apparatus will load the waste styrofoam into zone 2 of the rear room and then operate the waste styrofoam hot-melt equipment to process the waste styrofoam into highly densified styrofoam ingots. The ingots are then stacked onto the pallets for temporary storage. After processing of the waste styrofoam has been completed at one location, the operator will then drive the mobile apparatus to the next location where the waste styrofoam processing operation will be repeated. At the end of a working day, the operator will return to their base location where the pallets loaded with densified styrofoam ingots will be unloaded from the cargo van. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will be described in conjunction with reference to the following drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a left-side view of an example of the mobile apparatus disclosed herein;

Fig. 2 is a right-side view of the mobile apparatus shown in Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3A is a rear view of the mobile apparatus shown in Fig. 1 , while Fig. 3B is a front view of the cargo box component of the mobile apparatus shown in Fig. 1 ; Fig. 4 is a top view of the interior of the cargo box component of the mobile apparatus shown in Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 5 is a schematic top view of the interior of another embodiment of the cargo box component;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an example of a waste foam-processing apparatus that may be housed within the cargo box component of the mobile apparatus disclosed herein;

Fig. 7 is an end view of the waste foam-processing apparatus shown in Fig.

6;

Fig. 8A is a perspective view of an example of a portable collapsible re- usable waste-styrofoam container according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, shown in a collapsed condition, Fig. 8B is a perspective view of the waste-styrofoam container shown partially unfolded and partially expanded, and Fig. 8C is a perspective view of the waste-styrofoam container shown fully expanded; and Fig. 9A is a perspective view of the portable collapsible re-usable waste- styrofoam container shown in Fig 8, with the upper flap and lower flap partially opened to show VELCRO ^® strips (VELCRO is a registered trademark of Velcro Industries B.V., Curacao, Curacao) provided along the inner edges of the upper flap and lower flap and along the edge of the container, Fig. 9B is a side view of the waste-styrofoam container shown with the top flap opening outward and the lower flap opening inward so waste styrofoam may be placed inside the container, and Fig. 9C is a side view of the waste-styrofoam container shown with the top flap and bottom flap opening outward so that waste styrofoam may be d umped out of the container.

DETAILED DESCRI PTION

The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relates to mobile self- propelled apparatus for over-road travel between industrial and municipal sites for on-site processing and recycling waste expanded styrofoam and extruded styrofoam materials into compact and dense polystyrene blocks (also referred to herein as "ingots") that are useful as feedstock for reprocessing into other types of polystyrene products. The mobile self-propelled apparatus disclosed herein has the capacity and ability to process waste styrofoam materials comprising expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) and/or expanded polyethylene foam (EPE) and/or expanded polypropylene foam (EPR) and/or extruded polystyrene foam (XPS).

One embodiment of the present disclosure pertains to a single-axle straight commercial truck fitted with a cargo box with a partition separating a first work space fitted with a styroform-processing equipment and a second space containing therein an electric generator for powering the styroform-processing equipment. An example of a suitable commercial truck is a single-axle 5-ton truck fitted with a cargo box that may be about 8 ft (2.44 m) wide by about 8 ft (2.44 m) high by 24 ft (7.32 m) long, alternatively 20 ft (6.1 m) long, alternatively 22 ft (6.7 m) long, alternatively 26 ft (7.92 m) long, or alternatively 28 ft (8.53 m) long. Another example of a suitable commercial truck is a tandem-axle truck fitted with a cargo box that may be about 8 ft (2.44 m) wide by 8 ft (2.44 m) high by 24 ft (7.32 m) long, alternatively 20 ft (6.1 m) long, alternatively 22 ft (6.7 m) long, alternatively 26 ft (7.92 m) long, or alternatively 28 ft (8.53 m) long. In some regions, it may be desirable to have a single-axle truck tractor or a tandem-axle pulling a cargo-box trailer that may be about 8 ft (2.44 m) wide by 8 ft (2.44 m) high by 28 ft (8.53 m) long, alternatively 30 ft (9.14 m) long, alternatively 32 ft (9.75 m) long, alternatively 36 ft (10.97 m) long, alternatively 38 ft (1 1 .58 m) long, or alternatively 40 ft (12.19 m) long.

The cargo box is preferably partitioned into a forward section (also referred to as a "forward room") for housing an electrical generator therein and a rear section (also referred to as a "rear room") for processing waste styrofoam into highly compressed ingots. The forward section may be partitioned from the rear section by a partition that extends from wall-to-wall and from floor-to-ceiling. Alternatively, the partition may extend from wall-to-wall and upward from the floor to for a distance that is half-way or more between the floor and the ceiling. Alternatively, the partition may extend from floor-to-ceiling and from one wall to a distance about 2 ft (0.61 m) from the other wall to provide a walkway for an operator from the rear section to the front section. Alternatively, the partition may extend upward from the floor to for a distance that is half-way or more between the floor and the ceiling, and from one wall to a distance about 2 ft (0.61 m) from the other wall to provide a walkway for an operator from the rear section to the front section.

The rear section of the cargo box is provided with a waste styrofoam hot- melt processing equipment that is securely mounted to the floor of the cargo box. Examples of suitable cargo box for this apparatus include the GREENMAX ^® hot melt densifier M-C200 equipment available from the Zhenjiang Intco Environment Protection Machinery Co. in China and from Basic International Inc. in the USA, the Avangard thermal compression densifier equipment available from Brentwood Recycling Systems in Australia, and the like. The space in the rear portion of the cargo van is organized around the waste styrofoam hot-melt processing equipment to provide a receiving area for containers of waste styrofoam, space for feeding waste styrofoam into the waste styrofoam hot-melt processing equipment and for recovering processed styrofoam ingots, and a storage area for palleted ingots. A suitable configuration is for the waste styrofoam hot-melt processing equipment to be mounted onto a floor portion in a rear corner of the cargo box adjacent to the rear door(s) of the cargo box leaving sufficient room: (i) between the equipment and the door(s) for an operator to move around with the rear door(s) closed, and (ii) between a side wall and the equipment for receiving and storing therein containerized waste styrofoam.

The forward section of the cargo box (also referred to herein as a "generator room") is provided with a generator selected to provide an excess of the power required to operate the waste styrofoam hot-melt processing equipment when it is being operated at full capacity. Suitable generators will provide 35-80 kW at 60 Hz. Examples of a suitable generator include QSB35 series diesel generator sets from Cummins Power Generation Inc., SD080 industrial generator sets from Generac Power Systems Inc., Hardy diesel generator sets from Southwest Products Corp., and the like. At least one side of the forward section of the cargo box is provided with a door opening to the outside to provide access to the generator mounted therein. It is optional if so desired to provided outward-opening doors on both sides of the forward section of the cargo box to provide access to the forward room. An example of a mobile self-propelled apparatus 10 for on-site processing and recycling waste styrofoam materials is shown in Figs. 1 -5 and generally comprises a 5-ton (5.01 tonne) single-axle truck frame with running gear and cab 15 to which has been fitted a 24-ft (7.32-m) cargo box 20 that has been partitioned internally into a forward room 30 and a rear room 40. In this example, a Cummins QSB35 series diesel generator set 35 is mounted to the floor of the forward room 30 and may be accessed through doors 32, 34 provided therefor in the sides of the cargo box 20. The diesel fuel tank (not shown) to hold fuel for powering the generator motor may be secured to the truck frame 15 underneath the cargo box 20 in a suitable position near or under the front room 30. The rear room 40 of the cargo box 20 shown in this example, is organized into four zones (best seen in Figs. 4 and 5; the dimension of each square is 1 -ft by 1 -ft (0.3-m by 0.3 m). Zone 1 is a 10-ft (3.05-m) long by 5-ft (1 .5-m) wide space in the right rear section of the cargo box 20 (from the rear looking into the cargo box) wherein the GREENMAX ^® hot melt densifier M-C200 equipment is mounted. Zone 2 is a 10-ft (3.05-m) long by 3-ft (0.91-m) space in the left rear section of the rear room 40 which is used as a walkway from the rear door of the cargo box to a 2-ft (0.61 -m) wide walkway (zone 4) that extends between the two side walls of the cargo box at the end of zones 1 and 2. Zone 2 can also be used for storage of waste styrofoam containers 60 (also referred to herein as "styro-bags"). Zone 3 is a 12-ft (3.66-m) long by 8-ft (2.44-m) wide area at the front of the rear room 70 of the cargo box 20 wherein six 4-ft by 4-ft (1 .22-m by 1 .22-m) pallets 55 can be secured to rails 42 flush-mounted into the floor of the rear room 40 in the cargo box. It is optional if so desired, to provide a side door on one or both sides the cargo box 20 about the zone 3 area to enable loading into and unloading of pallets from zone 3 of rear room 40 with a forklift. Alternatively, empty pallets 55 may be moved with a pallet jack from the rear door of the cargo box 20 along the zone 2 space into the zone 3 space, while loaded pallets 55 may be removed from zone 3 with a pallet jack along the zone 2 space and out of the rear door. The 2-ft (0.61- m) wide zone 4 separates the zone 3 space at the front of rear room 40 and the zones 1 and 2 adjacent the rear door(s) of the cargo box 20.

The GREENMAX ^® hot melt densifier M-C200 equipment 45 used in this example is shown in Figs. 6 and 7 and generally fits into the zone 1 10-ft long by 5-ft wide footprint with sufficient space for an operator to walk around the M-C200 equipment 45 during operation and for repairs. The M-C200 equipment 45 comprises a hopper 46 for receiving waste styrofoam which is then shredded and then densified in a compactor 47. The shredded densified styrofoam is then fed into the hot-melt equipment 48 and then extruded as a melted product through an extruder head 49 and formed into ingots which are cooled and then stacked by an operator onto the pallets 55. The extruded melted styrofoam product has a compression ratio of 90: 1 . The M-C200 equipment 45 is provided with a control panel 50 for operator use to control the waste styrofoam processing. Another embodiment of the present disclosure relates to collapsible/expandable containers for receiving and storing therein waste styrofoam. An example of a suitable collapsible/expandable container 60 is shown in Figs. 8A-8C and may also be referred to as a "STYRO-GO ^® " container (STYRO- GO is a registered trademark of Styro-Go Inc., Calgary, AB, CA). The collapsible/expandable container 60 comprises four identical generally square wire frames 62, 63 with rounded corners that form a cube when the vertical edges of the wire frames are set edge-to-edge. The container may be formed by placing four wire frames end-to-end on top of a length of a suitable material 64 and then the adjacent edges of wireframes 62, 63 are sown into place along the length of the material 64. The four wire frames 62, 63 are then folded into a cube and the two open vertical edges of the cube are stitched together, after which, the opposing ends at the top and bottom of the cube are closed with additional material 64 stitched to the top horizontal edges and the bottom horizontal edges of the wire frames 62, 63. One of the side walls of the cube formed by one of the wire frames 63 is provided with an upward-extending lower flap 68, and a downward-extending upper flap 66 that overlaps the upper edge of the lower flap 68 (Figs. 8C, 9A) that defines an opening into the container 60 when it is expanded into a cube. A strip 69 of VELCRO ^® is afixed to the material adjacent to each of the vertical sides of the wire frame 63 defining the opening in the vertical cube. A corresponding strip 69 of VELCRO ^® is afixed to each inward-facing vertical edge of the upper flap 66. A corresponding strip 69 of VELCRO ^® is afixed to each inward-facing vertical edge of the lower flap 68. The VELCRO ^® strips 69 cooperate to keep the upper and lower flaps 66, 68 attached to the container 60 when it is in an expanded condition as shown in Fig. 8C. Fig. 9A shows the upper and lower flaps 66, 68 being opened to show the VELCRO ^® strips 69. Fig. 9B shows the upper flap 66 being opened outward and lower flap 68 opened inward to allow waste styrofoam to be inserted into the container 60. Fig. 9C shows both upper and lower flaps 66, 68 opened outward to allow waste styrofoam to be removed from the container 60. Fig. 8A shows the container 60 in fully collapsed and folded together. Fig. 8B shows the container 60 partially expanded and folded open. Figs. 8C and 9A-9C show the container 60 fully expanded. It is optional if so desired to provide a handle on each of the opposing sides of the container 60 abutting the side of the container with wire frame 63 and the upper and lower flaps 66, 68, to facilitate handling of the container 60 when it is expanded, partially full of waste styrofoam, and full of waste styroform. It is optional to provide a pair of handles on each of the opposing sides of the container 60 abutting the side of the container with wire frame 63 and the upper and lower flaps 66, 68 as illustrated in Figs. BA-BC, 9A-9C). An example of a method for use of the embodiments of the mobile apparatus disclosed herein is as follows. A plurality of collapsed and folded STYRO-GO ^® containers may be delivered to a selected group of customers within a geographical region. Each customer would fill the STYRO-GO ^® containers with their waste styrofoam products. If a customer was generating more than one type of waste styrofoam product e.g. EPS and/or EPE and/or EPR and/or XPS, then they could put each type of styrofoam product into a separate dedicated STYRO- GO ^® container. When the customer's STYRO-GO ^® containers are filled with waste styrofoam, they would contact the operator of the mobile apparatus for on-site processing and recycling waste styrofoam products. The operator would then drive the mobile apparatus to the customer's location, load the Styro-Go™ containers into zone 2 in room 40 of the cargo box 20. The operator would then load the waste styrofoam into the waste styrofoam hot-melt processing equipment for compression and conversion into waste styrofoam ingots that would then be stacked onto pallets 55 in zone 3 of the room 40. If so desired, ingots produced from different types of waste styrofoam would be stacked onto different pallets. After all of the customer's waste styrofoam has been processed, the operator would return the collapsed and folded STYRO-GO ^® containers to the customer, and then travel to the next customer's location to process on-site, the next customer's waste styrofoam products.