MATERIALS | MINERAL FILLERS
Right: Thermoformed (plus film and injection moulded) applications are targets for Made from Stone com- pounds from Okeanos
reported. In tests conducted according to the VDA 270 German automotive industry standard for odour, HPF found that odour levels in recycled PP compounds could be reduced below the critical acceptance threshold. HPF’s Microspar is a feldspar with a tailored surface treatment that acts as a compatibilizer in post-consumer recycled compounds, which may contain a variety of materials that are incom- patible, such as PP and PE. The mineral compatibi- lizer improves interfacial adhesion and mechanical performance. Compared to reactive polymer compatibilizers, which were discussed in the May issue of Compounding World, the mineral compatibilizer is “cost efficient, robust toward feedstock variations and well suited for repeated recycling cycles,” HPF said. Polyolefins that have high amounts of some
mineral fillers can increase the material density above 1 g/m³, which can potentially cause difficul- ties for recycling processes that use float-sink sortation to separate PP and HDPE (which float in water because they have a density less than 1) from other polymers that have densities greater than 1 and sink. HPF suggested that wollastonite is an alternative filler that can prevent this issue, because it can provide efficient reinforcement at low levels.
Stone filler Okeanos uses a patented technology to create its Made from Stone compounds that are highly filled with calcium carbonate to reduce virgin polymer use and lower carbon footprint. The technology allows the material to float, enabling recycling even with a high filler level.
“Everyone in this industry knows the problem with calcium carbonate: the more you add, the heavier the packaging gets. So, you choose between cost and sustainability,” said Okeanos CEO Florencio Cuétara. “At Okeanos, we don’t make anyone choose. Our patented Made From Stone injected sheet technology gets past 50% calcium carbonate with density still under 0.8, while cutting CO2 by up to 75%, even replacing polysty- rene. We’re already doing it at scale.” The company said that its compounds can be used to produce packages that have good dimen- sional stability, grease resistance, and barrier to acid food contact. The compounds run on existing equipment for film, thermoforming, and moulding. Thermoformed applications include yogurt cups, clamshells, and other packaging. The compounds are also an alternative to paper-plastic combination products, such as coffee cups or quick service restaurant packaging. Okeanos described its material as “mono-material paper-like technology” that is printable and has a “paper-like touch”. Lignetics, which manufactures NaturFil biobased and biodegradable wood-based fillers, recently announced the availability of NaturFil WP1050, a new grade with FDA food contact approval at up to 50% loading in finished polymer systems. The biobased filler can now be used in rigid and semi-rigid, single-use food-contact applications, such as cutlery and containers, for brands and converters who want to reduce material footprint, the company said. The filler is produced from sustainably sourced wood residuals using Lignetics Group’s patent-pending densification technology to make a processable form for thermoplastics. Parts filled with NaturFil exhibit mechanical
NaturFil comparison with mineral fillers Source: Lignetics
24 COMPOUNDING WORLD | June 2026
properties comparable to those filled with mineral fillers, at half the weight, said LD Sheftel, Director of Category, Industrial Products, at Lignetics. “While traditional cost analysis focuses on price-per-
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IMAGE: OKEANOS
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