additives feature | PVC plasticizers
Brands is using the material in its flip-flop sandals; Barbour Plastics is making shoe welts; and Flooring Adventures is producing a range of interlocking floor tiles. Earlier this year, US-headquartered PolyOne
Source: Teknor Apex
Alternatives to phthalates offered by Teknor Apex in its medical- grade Apex vinyl and Flexalloy vinyl elastomer compounds
Marketed under the BioVinyl name, the company is emphasising the renewable content of the products and the contribution the grades can make to meeting its customers’ environmental targets. “The renewable message is not stronger than the
phthalate-free, it is just addressing a different market need. For those concerned with developing bona fide sustainable solutions, using a fact-based approach, BioVinyl products have a very strong message,” says Louis Cappucci, vice president responsible for the com- pany’s Vinyl Division. Teknor Apex says the combination of renewably-
sourced plasticizer and PVC, around 50% of which is derived from salt, makes the carbon footprint of BioVinyl compounds very attractive compared with alternative polymers. The company claims global warming potential of the BioVinyl compounds, measured in CO2
equiva-
lents, is half that of polyolefins and is lower even than PLA bioplastic. Cumulative energy demand, including feedstock and processing, is also lower than many alternative polymers, the company says. “What BioVinyl technology has accomplished is the
ability to make a much stronger argument for PVC, one which is hard to dispute, even from some of vinyl’s staunchest opponents,” says Cappucci. “BioVinyl compounds are cost competitive against non-phthalate options, and very cost competitive against alternative polymers with comparable properties.” Teknor Apex says the improved heat stability of the
PolyOne says its reFlex 100 is one of the
first bio-based plasticizers to be recognised by the USDA BioPreferred programme
32
BioVinyl compounds means processors experience reduced polymer degradation during production, while finished products display lower levels of colour change in accelerated testing. The company says it has also developed anti-fungal additive systems for the BioVinyl products that ensure compliance with ASTM G21. A number of applications for the BioVinyl products have already been commercialised in the US: Okabashi
COMPOUNDING WORLD | August 2012
www.compoundingworld.com
introduced its reFlex 100 bio-based plasticizer, which it has developed in collaboration with US agricultural products group Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and which it says is the first in a new line of bio-based plasticizers. The company describes the plasticizer as a fast-acting high solvating grade with 94% bio-content and says it is one of the first bio-based plasticizers to be recognised by the US Department of Agriculture’s USDA BioPreferred programme. PolyOne says the reFlex 100 grade is not targeted
directly at general purpose phthalates but at products such as benzoates and lower molecular weight plasticizers such as BBP. The company says it is particularly suitable for plastisol applications, as well as for use as a co-plasticizer in newer non-phthalate plasticizers where customers have sacrificed perfor- mance or productivity and in applications where bio-based content is perceived to be beneficial. PolyOne marketing director for specialty coatings
and resins James Gray says this first reFlex grade will soon be supplemented with a second grade offering 99% bio-based content and BioPreferred certification. This second grade is designed as a one-for-one replacement for DINP and other general purpose phthalates. “We believe the bio-based nature of our products is a
differentiating feature which can generate additional value for our customers,” says Gray. “For example, brand owners may be able to have their products certified according to the USDA BioPreferred programme, providing them with unique marketing opportunities including the potential to obtain Federal Preferential Procurement status. The reduced carbon footprint may support their sustainability initiatives as well.” While the reFlex products are bio-sourced, a tag which may carry a perception of improved safety in the minds of consumers, Gray says bio-based plasticizers need to be held to the same standards of health and safety as traditional alternatives. “Many traditional
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
