Keywords
Mamuniyat Formation
Murzuq Basin
SW Libya
Abstract
Polystyrene is a versatile plastic that is used in the manufacture of many consumer products
such as appliances, electronics, car parts, foam , insulating and packaging materials .In a previous paper ,the
viability of a local plant for producing styrene has been demonstrated suggesting that a techno-economic
feasibility study for establishing a polystryrene plant is the next step. Here the results of this study are
presented.
After surveying the literature for relevant technologies, a recent US patent was selected as a manufacturing
process. The technology is based on anionic polymerization chemistry and has the advantage of recycling
part of the product as a heat sink for heat generated during reaction to soften products for further processing,
suggesting a three step manufacturing process: feed preparation, adiabatic reaction and product finishing
sections.
In feed preparation section commercial grade styrene is inhibited and continuously treated to remove
impurities that can interfere with polymerization downstream. The inhibitor is removed in one of two beds
of activated alumina, the other being regenerated. Temperature is carefully controlled to prevent thermal
initiation.
The adiabatic reaction section is run batch wise. It consists of low temperature initiation reactor and two
anionic polymerization reactors one operating while the other is being regenerated. Sufficient amount of
solid product enters the reactor to control the temperature to the desired level. The finishing section is run
continuously to accomplish termination, product finishing and purification. Material and energy balances in
the original patent were reproduced and a preliminary economic feasibility was undertaken. The project is
promising, with an internal rate of return in the range of 30 percent for a ten year operation and a payback
period of 2.3 years.