Life Cycle of EPS

EPS or expandable polystyrene, which is better known under the brand name Porozell®, is a plastic product that results from the processing of crude oil. It is produced by chemical companies and delivered to EPS processors. EPS has the consistency and appearance of sugar, and is made up of approx. 94% of the elements carbon and water and 4 to 6% of pentane as a foaming agent. Pentane is a hydrocarbon that is found in nature and has no harmful effects on the environment. EPS is chemically neutral and non-water soluble, and does not give off any water-soluble materials that could lead to the contamination of ground water, soil or air. EPS products are free of harmful chlorofluorocarbons (FCKW) and plasticizers (phthalates).

The EPS raw material is warmed with steam in a pre-expander at a temperature of approx. 100° C until the beads reach the desired density. During this process each individual bead expands to roughly fifty-times its original volume.

The pre-expanded EPS beads are stored in ventilated fabric silos. When the pre-expanded material – which is still comprised of loose beads – cools, it gains the required mechanical stability through the absorption of air.

Special aluminum forms are required to make the desired end product from the pre-expanded material. These forms are mounted on the shape molding machines.

The pre-expanded stored beads are suctioned into the aluminum forms, expanded with steam for a second time, fused into their final form and then cooled. The finished EPS components are comprised of up to 98% air and are therefore very light, so the machine operator can stack them easily.

In order to guarantee the recognized HIRSCH quality, the finished products are regularly tested according to quality control criteria (incl. breakage tests).

The finished components are stored in the warehouse for “just-in-time“ delivery.

The ratio of volume-value to transportation costs is so unfavorable that EPS cannot be economically shipped over a radius of more than 300 km. All HIRSCH Servo production facilities are therefore located in close proximity to customers and, in some cases, deliveries are made directly across the street.

The recycling of used EPS packaging and production waste has been an integral part of operations at EPS processing plants for many years. Materials are returned to processors by traders or through collection points. In simple preparation processes these materials are either put back into the production cycle or processed into new products. One successful example is the range of HIRSCH Thermozell lightweight concrete products, which are made of EPS recycling material and used in individual processing especially to level floors in the renovation of older buildings or as insulating non-flammable sub-flooring.