SUSTAINABILITY | COMPOUND INNOVATION
conserve resources and minimise waste. “This can be done both through the design and manufacture of sustainable compounds,” she says. “In terms of product design, Cabot has been
formulating masterbatches with recycled resin for many years. We have also started using reclaimed raw materials. Recently, we launched biodegrad- able resin-based masterbatches used in agricul- tural films in Asia and are bringing this technology to other regions,” Corujo says. “We continue to invest in our manufac- turing facilities to help enable sustainability by using hydropow- er or recovered waste heat energy from our carbon black facilities. We are actively working with our customers to under- stand their product lifecycle so that we can best support their sustainability needs.” Cabot recently launched black masterbatches formulated in recycled resins from both post-industrial and post-consum- er sources. The company says that it has experience in formulating
specific blends of recycled raw materials
Above: Fraunhofer LBF has investigated the use of old battery
housings to make new household appliance parts, such as this Bosch dish- washer base
that enable high performance, delivering consist- ent colour, and UV protection and quality. Master- batches are also currently being developed that are formulated in both recycled resins and re- claimed carbon to help customers meet their sustainable targets. Two of Cabot’s most important markets are automotive and packaging. In automotive, the company is supplying products to meet key automo- tive requirements including lightweighting, electrifi- cation, sustainability and aesthetics, which are often interdependent. Black masterbatches are also the primary method of colouring black plastics for the packaging industry. In addition to aesthetics, black masterbatches can improve ultraviolet durability, circularity and conductivity of black packaging. In future developments Corujo says that Cabot is striving for a deep knowledge of customers’ sustainability needs by segment. “We want to deliver solutions to customers that are meaningful and will help them with their customers and end-products,” she says. “For example, that could be a higher focus on decreasing GHG emissions or increasing circularity. Aligning on the data source of information for Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions will also be part of that. Additionally, we are continuing the work we have started in biodegradable resins in mulch and exploring extending this to other
48 COMPOUNDING WORLD | February 2023
segments such as packaging. In packaging, we are also working on better ways to sort plastics for recycling.”
Stress investigations In cooperation with Robert Bosch and BSH Haus- geräte, the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF has been investigating the use of recycled plastics in high-stress applications. The work carried out extensive investigations into the morphological and mechanical properties of a PP recyclate and compared the results with new material that is currently in use. The recyclate originated from used starter battery housings and was compounded and optimised — from a usage requirements perspec- tive — by Bosch and recycling company BSB. This involved comminating, cleaning and drying the PP housings. In a subsequent compounding process, the molten material was filtered; mixed with additives, stabilisers and fillers (30wt% talc) and then granulated. To gain a full understanding of the differences between the properties of recyclate and new material, extensive analytical and mechanical investigations were carried out on material sam- ples. From an analytical perspective, the molar mass distribution, the degree of crystallinity and the level of contamination by metals or foreign polymers were investigated. Mechanical tests were used to examine how the service life was affected by the interplay of static and cyclic loading on notches and the joint line, as well as the tempera- ture, load ratio and ageing. To ensure that the recyclate and new material were comprehensively characterised for the planned intended use, 250 static tensile tests and 450 fatigue strength tests were carried out. For household appliances, the recyclate could potentially be used as a substitute for new material that is currently being used to produce injection moulded dishwasher bases with dimensions of 600mm by 400mm by 100 mm and weight of 2 kg. To enable the use of recyclates in the base various aspects had to be verified, such as the cyclic strength of the most highly stressed area of a bearing dome, which is cyclically stressed up to 100,000 times due to the opening and closing that takes place during operation. Using numeric calculations, the mechanical
properties that had been determined from the sample tests were processed so that they could be incorporated into the concept of the most highly stressed volume of material V80 and the concept of the stress gradient χ*. With the aid of compo-
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IMAGE: FRAUNHOFER LBF
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