REINFORCEMENTS | NATURAL FIBRES AND FILLERS
tions.” Genarex developed Bylox bio-fillers based on components from industrial corn waste streams. “Attis Innovations’ primary product for the plastics space is a unique, melt-flowable lignin which is a bio-additive that brings unparalleled cost savings and performance to common resin systems,” says Bob Montgomery, VP of Sales and Product Development at Genarex. “Attis employs a proprietary extraction process that enables the cost-effective separation of lignin from virtually any form of biomass. Once extracted, the lignin can be compounded with traditional resin systems or new bioplastic materials to cost dilute the finished formulation, increase sustainability and maintain performance.”
Lignin compatibility According to Montgomery, Attis’s lignin has already shown very good compatibility with polyolefins such as HDPE and PP. Products moulded in compounds containing 15-25% lignin exhibited 100% retention in tensile modulus and impact strength as well as 90% of the tensile strength compared to the neat polymer, he says. The compounds also yield parts with high gloss and uniform surface, and can fill long flow-length parts and complex geometries. The Bylox bio-fillers complement the Attis lignin bio-additive. “The Bylox suite of products differ greatly from existing bio-filler options in that the material is primarily protein-based and thus offer superior ductility and particle size,” says Montgom- ery. “Bylox LT has shown great success with many film applications, including agricultural mulch film
Figure 1: Charts showing the effect of Attis lignin reinforcement on properties of HDPE and PP. The Generation 2 lignin uses a newly developed compatibiliser system
and yard and pet waste bags. Bylox HT is a more thermally stable product that is capable of process- ing in conjunction with higher temperature products without creating anisotropic shrinkage issues or significant loss of mechanical properties. Bylox Clean is an outstanding product with lower base colour and odour, and in addition to working in films has shown the ability to substitute some plasticiser used in the production of flexible PVC for a significant cost reduction.” Sappi, a leading global provider of sustainable wood fibre products and solutions with headquar- ters in South Africa, recently initiated a project called Sappi Symbio to investigate the use of cellulose as a reinforcement in plastics. “During the last year, market interest in Sappi Symbio cellulose fibre-reinforced polypropylene increased a lot. We are running numerous commercial trials for a diversity of injection moulding applications. The focus is mainly on furniture, appliances, consumer electronics and automotive but we are running trials in other segments as well,” says Jacob Hartstra, New Business Development Manager at Sappi Europe. Sappi Symbio has several selling points that
make it an interesting material for such applica- tions, Hartstra says. “For automotive the low density and high rigidity are obvious ones, but these are not the only and often not the most important drivers,” he says. “It is especially the more natural matt look, the soft and warm touch, and the fact it sounds less like a plastic that elicit a very positive response from the market.” The compounds also have scratch resistance
Source: Attis Innovations
46 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2018
www.compoundingworld.com
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