NATURAL FIBRES AND FILLERS | ADDITIVES
Biorenewable fibres and fillers offer the potential to reduce product carbon footprint and the options available are growing, reports Jennifer Markarian
GARY CHINGA CARRASCO, RISE PFI
Natural routes to cutting product carbon footprint
Natural fibres and fillers for plastics, whether derived directly from plants or produced from other renewable bio-based materials, are attracting strong interest for the potential they offer to reduce product carbon footprint by replacing some of the polymer or traditional fibres and fillers in a formula- tion. In some cases, these renewable natural additives can also improve strength, reduce product weight, and help to optimise cost. Headquartered in Detroit in Michigan in the US,
Heartland Industries has an engineered hemp- fibre additive that is currently being trialed in a range of plastics applications, as well as in materials such as rubber, paper and asphalt. The company plans to have its first industrial-scale processing facility built by Q4 of this year in time for the hemp harvest. “We’re receiving lots of requests from companies who are looking at ways to decarbonise the plastics and other materials they use,” says John Ely, Heartland’s Chief Marketing Officer. Ely says Heartland has developed a processing method and formula that allows the hemp to be
www.compoundingworld.com
consistently blended into a variety of polymers. It plans to offer the Imperium hemp-based additive as a filler (100% hemp), as a masterbatch contain- ing 85% hemp, or as a filled compound with 40% or more hemp. He says that in polyolefins, Impe- rium can replace or augment talc and calcium carbonate, while in polyamides it can replace or augment glass fibres. In December last year, Heartland was one of five
startups selected for a six-month accelerator programme — Go Move 2022 — intended to develop solutions to reduce the lifecycle impact of automobiles and decarbonise automotive manufac- turing. The initiative is a joint effort between BASF, Tier 1 automotive supplier Magna International, and climate tech incubator Greentown Labs and is intended to help move towards commercialisation. Heartland says, as part of the project, it expects to identify potential applications and test its material in different formulations and polymer types, including glass-fibre reinforced formulas. It says hemp-based additives can be used either to reduce the amount
Main image: Wood fibres are showing promise as a reinforcement in thermoplas- tic bio-compos- ites but are only one of a number of options under development
May 2023 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 53
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
