Clarifi ers and nucleators | additives feature
Jennifer Markarian reviews the latest developments in clarifying and nucleating agents for polymers
Bringing clarity and processing benefi ts to plastics
Polypropylene and polyethylene have a great deal to offer at a very competitive price. However, they sometimes need a helping hand from additives to enable them to compete against other polymers and replace other materials. Clarifying and nucleating agents play a critical role in improving the clarity, processability and performance of polyolefi ns and recent technology advances are helping to open up new applications. The shale gas revolution in North America has
spurred a new wave of investments in polyolefi n production, which should further improve the competi- tive position of PE and PP, as well as increasing the pressure to fi nd new and innovative applications.
Clear benefi ts PP, PS and PET are the most commonly used polymers in clear packaging applications, but PP has the advantages of being a more versatile polymer that is lighter and more sustainable from a greenhouse-gas perspective, claims Raj Krishnaswamy, director of technology and innovation at Braskem America. Key applications include food packaging and storage. Unlike atactic PS and PET, however, PP requires a clari- fying additive to produce the clarity needed for these applications. Clarifi ers are a type of nucleating agent that causes
more rapid crystallization and reduces the size of crystal spherulites so that PP can approach PET and PS
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in clarity. The most widely used types of clarifi ers are sorbitols, which have been improved over the years. The third-generation (DMDBS) includes products such as Milliken’s Millad 3988, as well as Geniset DXR from NJC (formerly Rika) and Roquette’s Disorbene 3. The latest fourth-generation technology is based on
nonitol chemistry and is used in Milliken’s Millad NX8000 product, which can be run at lower processing temperatures. The additive has been steadily growing and replacing older products, so that it is now the largest volume clarifi er in PP globally, claims Cristina Acevedo, global product line manager for the Plastics Additives Business at Milliken. The company is currently expanding capacity for Millad NX8000 at its facility in Blacksburg, South Carolina, USA, and the company expects the new plant to be producing commercially by 2016. The expansion will double production and add an additional standby manufacturing line to ensure ample global supply of Millad NX8000.
When used at higher levels in thermoformed food
and beverage packaging, Millad NX8000 enables “Ultra-Clear” PP with an appearance similar to thermoformed PS and PET. “This improved clarity puts PP side by side with other polymers, making PP the material of choice for thermoformed packaging,” says Acevedo. “The heat resistance of PP allows it to be microwaveable, and because it weighs less it requires less energy to transport, which, along with a lower
May 2015 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 33
Milliken says its Millad
NX8000 creates “Ultra-Clear”
PP for thermo- formed food packaging
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