MINERAL FILLERS | MATERIALS
Minerals and more: new fillers and sources
Carbon footprint is of increasing importance for mineral and alternative fillers, while also keeping cost reduction and functional performance in mind. Jennifer Markarian reports
A wide range of functional fillers are added to plastics compounds to enhance properties, save cost, or improve carbon footprint. Mineral fillers include calcium carbonate, talc and others. Each mineral type has different properties, such as particle shape and aspect ratio, that can affect the properties it brings to a plastic compound. Coatings on the mineral particles, as well as compatibilizers added to the compound, are sometimes used to further improve properties. Formulators take all these factors into account as they aim to optimize filler loading to balance properties, processability, and cost. Calcium carbonate has been widely used as a filler for thermoplastics, often in polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). The mineral has had limited use in engineering polymers, such as polyamide (PA), where other minerals like mica and talc have traditionally been used, said Karsten Schulz, Business Development Director for Poly- mers at Omya International. Omya aims to change this paradigm with two new, advanced grades of calcium carbonate specifically designed for engineering plastics. The company said the new grades outperform conventional calcium carbonate and other minerals. For example, in glass-reinforced polyamide (PA), the new grades can improve dimensional stability without reducing impact resistance and could partially replace glass fibres. One of the new grades is Omya Smartfill 55-AV,
which provides improved impact strength and elongation in PAs. The new product can also improve notched impact resistance and stiffness of polycar- bonate (PC). It can improve brightness in opaque PC compounds and allow lower levels of titanium
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dioxide pigment. The special coating on the calcium carbonate particles in the Smartfill range was initially developed to reduce hydrolysis in PLA formulations and has now been found to be a benefit in PET, PC, and PA as well, said Schulz. The second new grade is Omyaspace 806-OG.
The Omyaspace technology was initially developed as an opacity enhancer for ABS to partially replace titanium dioxide in filled white formulations. In ABS, conventional calcium carbonate reduces impact resistance. Omyaspace 806 minimizes this issue, however, so it can be considered for a wider range of ABS applications. The filler increases stiffness and enhances brightness. In typical glass-filled PA, Omyaspace 806-OG
offers even higher impact resistance than Smartfill. In addition, while most mineral fillers typically reduce the impact properties of PAs formulated with impact modifiers, Omyaspace 806-OG maintains impact strength when used in high-impact polyam- ide formulations. Recent work at Omya has shown that the new grade “can be used to reduce both costs and cycle times while maintaining full impact performance at lower costs,” said Schulz. The new calcium carbonate grades have a much lower carbon footprint than engineering polymers, and they can reduce carbon footprint of a com- pound by displacing polymer, titanium dioxide, or
June 2026 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 19
Main image: Okeanos uses a patented
technology to create its Made from Stone compounds that are highly filled with calcium carbonate
IMAGE: OKEANOS
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