TECHNOLOGY | ODOUR AND EMISSIONS


Right: Luxus says its Odour Control Accelerator project aims to upscale validated technologies to deodorise recycled polymers


potential to reduce energy consumption, maximise resource efficiency, and cut carbon emissions are developed and demonstrated in industry.” OdorClear is a range of powerful wide spectrum


odour-absorbing masterbatches from Ampacet designed to neutralise the PCR odours that arise due to the presence of contaminants or residuals. Originally introduced as Odor Scavenger, the newly expanded range is said to minimise odours and enclose them inside the polymer, allowing convert- ers to boost the percentage of recycled content while keeping the odour level down. OdorClear masterbatches have been designed for use with a broad range of recycled polymers and can be specially formulated for injection and blow mould- ing, film, as well as other extrusion processes. Last year, Milliken launched its latest DeltaFlow


Viscosity Modifier grades, which offer lower VOCs and improved organoleptics when used in recycled polypropylene (rPP). The viscosity modifiers are supplied as dust-free solid concentrates and are designed to increase melt flow rate of pre and post-consumer rPP by shortening the material’s average molecular chain length. DeltaFlow-modified rPP resins exhibit improved


and more consistent flow, making them suitable for use in a wide range of applications including automotive, industrial packaging, and household storage and garden furniture. Use of the additive also allows processing temperatures to be re- duced, which can significantly cut cycle times, boost productivity, and uses less energy overall in the manufacturing process. The newly-developed DeltaFlow grades use the


latest viscosity-modification peroxide chemistry from Nouryon — Trigonox 501-CS40. This results in


a lower content of volatiles originating from peroxide decomposition products in the rPP when compared to Trigonox 101 type peroxides, most notably acetone and tert-butanol.


Stripping solutions


Odour can also be managed using stripping agents such as Byk’s P4200 additive. This is produced by adsorbing an aqueous solution of the agent onto a PP carrier that is then added in the compounding process and is said to carry away odour-causing contaminants and VOCs during vacuum degassing. It is recommended for use at 0.5% to 2.0% addition levels in PP. It can also be used in PE. P4200 is supplied as an easy-to-handle granulate. Byk claims the effectiveness of the product surpasses conven- tional solutions such as adsorbents. Researchers at the Fraunhofer LBF (Institute for


Structural Durability and System Reliability) in Darmstadt, Germany, have been looking into the odour topic for some time and say they have developed a new environmentally-friendly process specifically to remove odours from plastic packag- ing. Their findings were presented at the Plastics World Expo Europe, organised by Compounding World’s parent company AMI, in Essen in Germany in June this year. The new process is based on pressurised water


Figure 1: Comparison of VOC generation of Trigonox 101 against the Trigonox 501-CS40 grade used in Milliken’s latest DeltaFlow viscosity modifiers Source: Milliken/Nouryon


38 COMPOUNDING WORLD | July 2023


extraction, which has been shown to remove a tracer limonene fragrance from commercial HDPE packaging with no requirement for organic solvents. In this way, the material quality of pro- cessed plastic waste can be significantly increased, according to the researchers. In-process analysis based on infrared spectroscopy and mass spec- trometry provided data on the chemical composi- tion of the samples, showing significantly less limonene present after extraction. In addition to the fragrance, other impurities and short-chain HDPE were also removed. Based on the analysis, the Darmstadt experts


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IMAGE: LUXUS


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