ADDITIVES | FLAME RETARDANTS
smoke, no decomposition or corrosion during processing, no migration or yellowing on final items, and high UV stability. The grade works with most fillers at loadings to 10% and does not change the performance of the compound after multiple passes through the extruder, which is said to enable recycling possibilities. The company has recently more than doubled its capacity for production of its Phoslite line of products in China. It has also installed a state-of- the-art plant for production of liquid Masteret grades at Spoleto in Italy. Italmatch says it is directing considerable R&D
Above: Clariant has added capacity for Exolit OP flame retardant production at its plant at Daya Bay in China
back into production streams multiple times. Clariant recently increased production capacity
for its Exolit OP organophosphorus flame retard- ants with the opening of a new production facility at Daya Bay, Huizhou, China. The plant will supple- ment its two Exolit OP production lines in Germany. The first Daya Bay production line will be joined by a second in 2024.
Clariant is also working on several joint projects with customers, such as PA producer Domo Chemicals, to help OEMs define the technical requirements for flame retardant grades in emerg- ing applications such as e-mobility thermal management, where the industry has not yet defined a single standard. One of these joint projects looks to make
flame-retardant polyamides more glycol resistant to meet the emerging need to adapt cooling technology for electric vehicle batteries. This partnership brings together Domo’s glycol-resist- ant Technyl grades with Clariant’s Exolit OP flame retardants. Test have shown the new PA66-based solution displays lower coolant uptake, offers improved dimensional and colour stability, re- duced phosphorus leakage and potentially improved mechanical performance over ageing, according to Clariant.
Inorganic focus Targeting applications in challenging electrical parts in renewable energy markets such as solar panels, electrical vehicles and green appliances, Italmatch continues its focus on inorganic phos- phorous-based materials. These include its Phoslite inorganic phosphinate-based materials and Masteret red phosphorous-based grades, accord- ing to Ugo Zucchelli, Global Sales and Technical Assistance Manager, Plastics Additives. Italmatch says Phoslite B407A, for example, is
one of only a few suitable halogen-free additives suitable for polypropylene V2 applications, according to Zucchelli. Its key features include zero
14 COMPOUNDING WORLD | December 2023
effort on increasing the inorganic phosphinate’s thermal stability for engineering applications in extreme conditions and to further decrease red phosphorus emissions via special reactive coatings and catalysts. It is also one of 17 partners involved in the FlashPhos project, which is co-funded by the European Commission to drive the sustainable production of high-quality white phosphorus (P4) from sewage sludge. During the four-year innova- tion programme, the FlashPhos process will be demonstrated in a pilot plant with a throughput of up to 250 kg/hr dry sewage sludge. The aim is to build a first full-scale FlashPhos pilot plant in Europe by 2025. Brominated fire retardants producer Albemarle continues to tout the benefits of its fire safety products using what it describes as an evidence- based approach, which includes new developments in this area, to prove that the health and safety and environmental impacts of the materials can be lower than other flame-retardant chemistries. The company says it is concerned by current and proposed (BFR) regulations and is committed to addressing concerns raised by regulatory agencies in different jurisdictions. In particular, the company argues that BFRs should not be treated as a single class and there- fore should not be regulated as such as that approach could lead to “regrettable substitution.” It also says that regulatory agency concerns are often based on comparisons to brominated flame retardant (BFR) chemistries that have been phased out, such as decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE) and hexabromocyclodecane (HBCD. Next year, Albemarle says it will launch Saytex
Alero, its newest polymeric BFR material supported with evidence-based sustainable, versatile, recycla- ble, and safety profiles enabling a wide array of processing conditions and customisable material properties. Time-dependent studies of FR/ABS formulations show very good colour retention at elevated temperatures, which indicates high
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: CLARIANT
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
