ADDITIVES | FILM
Right: Palsgaard’s polymer application centre
develops and tests additive solutions that simulate the polymer or masterbatch production environment
particles from fouling the wall of the reactor, which reduces cooling efficiency and slows production. Made from a polyglycerol ester blend of fatty acids derived from RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil, the additive is a direct replacement for ethoxylated amines (which it says are being withdrawn from the market). It can also be used as an efficient alternative to sorbitan monooleates. Expected to be in commercial use early this year, Einar 981 is intended to be used at concentrations as low as 100-300 ppm and is said to have no negative effects on the catalyst, productivity or final polymer performance. The additive is also non- toxic and has food contact approval. “It is an ideal choice for use in PP and PE polymerisation where the materials may be used in the production of sensitive end products such as medical applications or baby food containers,” says Aunskjaer. “This is our answer to the challenge of providing a highly sustainable, renewable and food-grade aid to anti-fouling.” Palsgaard adds that both of these new additives
are produced in a way that will help PE film manufacturers, masterbatch makers and processors to minimise Scope 3 emissions and to reduce the use of non-renewables. “Our production sites have been carbon dioxide neutral since 2018,” says Aunskjaer. “We are planning to install a solar power plant able to cover all future electricity needs in 2024 and are currently introducing our own biogas plant. We are continually looking for ways in which we can support our customers in moving towards their own ESG initiatives; helping them to become greener and more sustainable.”
Recyclable demands Demand for more durable and reusable products, and for products that are more readily recycled or can be degraded, is also identified as a trend at Cargill Bioindustrial, which last year acquired the industrial and performance chemicals business of
Virgin HDPE Control rHDPE rHDPE + Incroslip C
Croda International. “The knock-on effect for the additives market is that there is a higher demand for solutions to help plastics become more durable or recyclable. These additives often need to be bio-based, sustainable and have a low carbon footprint,” says Michelle Downham, Marketing Manager – Polymer Additives. “These trends are also being driven by new
legislation demanding an increased recycled content. Many OEMs and brand owners have a desire to be more sustainable and are creating challenging sustainability goals to reduce their carbon footprint, waste and energy usage, for example. This filters down the supply chain, meaning that raw materials, including additives, must also be sustainable or deliver sustainability benefits in the final polymer.” Many of Cargill’s polymer additives for films are
produced with 100% bio-based carbon. “This includes the Crodamide, Incroslip and IncroMax slip, torque release and anti-scratch additives,” says Downham. “We have measured the carbon footprint of our slip additives and found that they are ‘carbon negative’. This means that they absorb more carbon dioxide during the growing of the crops than they emit during the manufacture of the product. These figures have been externally verified and can be used in customers’ Scope 3 carbon emissions calculations. “We also recently tested our Incroslip C product
Above: HDPE pellet samples show the whiter colour that can be achieved when using Incroslip C
20 COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2023
to understand its effect on the mechanical recycling of HDPE. We found that it demonstrated several positive effects on the recyclate including en- hanced flow, no impact on mechanical properties and whiter recyclate. After three cycles of mechani- cal recycling, with the addition of Incroslip C the HDPE had a melt flow rate twice as high as HDPE without the additive. There was no negative impact on mechanical properties of the polymer. The
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: CARGILL BIOINDUSTRIAL
IMAGE: PALSGAARD
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 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
