The orientation towards sustainable development of plastics
Black NIR-reflective dye as an alternative to carbon black
In the packaging industry, black is frequently used for cosmetics and electronic devices, while in the food industry it comes in handy for bottles and trays. Conventional black plastics are most often dyed with carbon black. However, the use of carbon black particles makes it harder to recycle these plastics, since they do not reflect the near-infrared (NIR) light of the scanners currently used in the sorting machines of recycling facilities. This means it is impossible to differentiate and sort black polymers according to the type of plastic using near-infrared (NIR) sensor technology, so they frequently end up as waste in landfill. The demand among consumers and legislators for more environmentally friendly products is growing continually .
Our partner Clariant has therefore developed three new, NIR-identifiable products for black coloring in plastics. These cover a broad range of polymers, such as HDPE, LDPE, PP, PET, PS and PA. With the new colorants from Clariant, masterbatch manufacturers and trademark holders in the household and personal care and the food industries can continue to offer black packaging that can be sorted using NIR technology. All products have been approved for food contact in selected countries worldwide.
- Solvaperm® Black PCR: PS- and PET-soluble dye, outstanding fastness
- Polysynthren® Black H: soluble in PA and other technical polymers
Graphtol® Black CLN: black pigment suitable for various polymers such as polyolefins and PVC, outstanding fastness, simple dispersion
Environmentally friendly products in plastics processing
Efficient process aids – SureMix®
SureMix®is a functional performance enhancing process aid that using its proprietary zinc complex technology, improves silica micro dispersion that reduces the Mooney viscosity and reduces mixing time and eliminates mixing passes in rubber compounding. As a result, it improves mixing efficiency and increases mixing capacity by up to 40%. It further improves productivity by reducing wasted rework time from reducing scrap. Unlike traditional process aids, SureMix® simultaneously improves functional performance characteristics by increasing toughness and reducing hysteresis that helps with energy consumption and durability. Additionally, SureMix® optimizes cure characteristics by increasing the scorch time and reducing the functional cure time. It has the added advantage of reducing Volatile Organic Compounds such as Ethanol by enabling 25-35% silane reduction, supporting the growing demand for global sustainability initiatives.
Biodegradable plastic – Addiflex
Addiflex from Add-X is a Biodegradable plastic, Microbes digest the biodegradable components and provide a greater surface. Temperature and oxygen will initiate the molecular breakdown of the polymer chains of the polyolefins, Microbes digest the polymer fragments, resulting in water, carbon dioxide, and biomass. It is completely biodegradable, resulting in a 80%-90% waste reduction (in weight, not volume). It is the only oxo-biodegradable technique on the market suitable for basically all plastic processes.
Mixing of incompatible plastics – Vistamaxx™ and Exxelor™
One of the main hurdles in the use of recycled material is the need to separate incompatible plastics efficiently and recycle them separately. This is fundamentally a very time-consuming and cost-intensive process.
Vistamaxx™ from ExxonMobil allows incompatible PE and PP plastics to mix in the melt, reducing the need for separation. Vistamaxx™ is a propylene-based elastomer that used it properties for a wide range within the recycling sector. It can overcome challenges caused by incompatibility between PE/PP in recycled materials, which can have beneficial effect on breakage point, aesthetics, softer touch and improved flexibility Furthermore recycled resins can be processed much easier and at the same time increase the amounts of the recycled resin.
Similar to Vistamaxx™, the Exxelor™ range can overcome incompatible blends to improve the mechanical characteristics of a material. It functions as a coupling agent between reinforcing materials, such as inorganic fillers and PP. Its main purpose is to achieve compatibility between different POs. The Exxelor™ PO resin, is a high-performance maleic anhydride functionalized polymer produced by reactive extrusion. It enables the compatibility between polyolefins and more polar polymers that are capable of interacting with maleic anhydride for alloying, recycling, or co-extrusion purposes.
Were you unable to find what you were looking for?
Whether it’s compatible elastomers for improved mechanics, multifunctional flow enhancers or innovative polymer modifiers – we are available at any time to provide comprehensive technical advice and information on products.
Here you’ll find a small selection from our product portfolio covering:
- Flow Polymers SureMix® – Efficient process aids
- Flow Polymers SureFlo® – Multifunfunctional flow enhancers
- ExxonMobil Vistamaxx™ – For compatibility
- ExxonMobil Exxelor™ – For improved mechanics
- ExxonMobil Elevast– Innovative polymer modifiers
Any questions? Please contact me!
Jens Vinke
Head of BU CASE
Phone: +49 40 300 501 8013
E-Mail: j.vinke@tergroup.com