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additives feature | PVC plasticizers Eastman is


focusing on sensitive


applications such as medical


devices with its new 168 SG plasticizer


effectively doubled since 2011. The company also began production of K-Flex dibenzoate ester products at its plant in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in August 2012. Emerald Kalama has been producing plasticizers based on dibenzoate ester technology at its Washington facility for nearly 40 years, and the Rotterdam process is modelled to duplicate the design of the US plant and thus produce equivalent materials at both locations. K-Flex also received full REACH registration in August 2012, and the Rotterdam facility will meet increased demand for K-Flex plasticizers and coalescents in the region. In addition to growing demand in the EU for products


that are not classified as substances of very high concern (SVHC), there is growing demand in the US for coatings that meet low volatile organic content (VOC) regulations. Emerald Kalama has focused on meeting this need, and says that it is diversifying the K-Flex platform to a wider range of applications and polymer systems. For example, the company recently introduced K-Flex 850P, a low-VOC product that exhibits stain and extraction resistance in vinyl plastisol and melt compounding applications and is effective in polysulphide sealants. Other new products include Kalama K-Flex PG, based on propylene glycol dibenzoate, and K-Flex 975P, another new patent-pending composition. The new K-Flex products show superior stain resistance, improved extraction resistance to solvents and oils, better fusion characteristics, lower fusion and gelation temperatures, and higher fused gel strength and wear layer toughness than other materials. When used in a plastisol system, K-Flex PG is


claimed to provide a significantly improved gel strength versus plastisols with DINP and DOTP and slightly higher than plastisols with BBP. As a very high solvator, it can be blended with other GP plasticizers to tailor end-performance properties. These K-Flex products are also very effective in TPU


plastification (absorption process), which provides a higher level of control that is desired in certain applications such as shoe soles and precision moulded parts. K-Flex products also exhibit good properties as a pigment carrier in liquid and paste colours as they are compatible with most polar polymers such as PUR, vinyl and cast acrylic, notes the company. Ferro recently announced plans to install 28,000


tonnes/year of extra capacity for dibenzoate plasticizers at its facility in Antwerp, Belgium. Production is expected to start in the second half of 2014. In addition, Ferro will add benzoic acid production at Antwerp, allowing the company to be fully backward-integrated for this key raw material. Eastman, which increased capacity for its non- phthalate plasticizer DOTP (Eastman 168) and its


18 COMPOUNDING WORLD | August 2013


precursors (2 ethyl hexanol) in recent years, has also added a new grade. Eastman 168 SG (sensitive grade) is a specialised, high-purity grade that is targeted at highly sensitive applications, such as medical devices, toys, childcare articles and food-contact products. The high-purity grade includes strict controls on


residual impurities, such as DEHP, 2-EH, and trace heavy metals. Eastman 168 grades can be used as a general-purpose plasticizer and can replace DEHP. Eastman 168 is also a more efficient and lower-cost alternative to the non-phthalate plasticizer tris (2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate (TOTM), says the company.


Bio-based plasticizers Bio-based plasticizers have a double marketing advantage – potential benefits both in human health, as they are not phthalate based, and in environmental health, as they are not produced using fossil fuels. Because typical plasticizer loadings are around 30%,


PVC compounds containing bio-based plasticizers exhibit lower greenhouse gas emission potential than PVC compounds with conventional plasticizers and a carbon footprint that is even smaller when compared to non-vinyl plastics, notes Mike Patel, industry manager of Teknor Apex’s Vinyl Division. Figure 1 shows that the cumulative energy demand of Teknor Apex’s BioVinyl compounds, made using Dow’s Ecolibrium bio-based plasticizers, is lower than conventional PVC and other plastics. Teknor Apex introduced its first BioVinyl compounds at NPE 2012, and commercialized BioVinyl compounds


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