MATERIALS | NATURAL FIBRES AND FILLERS
PP filled with 1.2% RFF from UPM
Biochemicals has demonstrated thermal stability through 10 extruder passes to simulate recycling
• PP filled with 1,2 wt.-% RFF shows excellent thermal stability: no degradation of the polymer and even increasing oxidation induction time (OIT)
Source: UPM • Colour of RFF filled PP was stable during the recycling loops
and sales,” says Dag Molteberg, Chief Scientist at Norske Skog Saugbrugs. The company has a pilot compounding plant with capacity of approximately 300 tonnes/year and produces natural fibre biocomposites to replace conventional plastics in injection moulding, 3D printing and extrusion. For example, the company has recently developed a biocomposite for 3D- printing based on rPP and PLA with up to 60% TMP, in partnership with CircLab of Sweden. The com- pany’s efforts to replace TPU has resulted in a soft rPP with wood fibre with a 70% reduction in CO2 footprint. The rPP composite was used to injection mould frisbees by Alfa Discs.
Bio-based carbon UPM Biochemicals (part of Finland-headquartered forestry company UPM) is constructing a biorefin- ery in Leuna, Germany that will produce wood- based biochemicals, such as renewable glycols, industrial sugars, and lignin. Lignin is used to make UPM BioMotion Renewable Functional Fillers (RFF), which the company describes as an innovative material class designed to increase sustainability of rubber and plastic end-use applications. Startup is planned for the end of 2024. “RFF is made from responsibly sourced hard-
wood from regional, sustainably managed forests and features a negative carbon footprint consider- ing cradle-to-gate boundaries and biogenic carbon. Renewable raw materials accumulate carbon during plant growth, by sequestration of carbon dioxide from air,” says Florian Diehl, Director Sales & Marketing, RFF Business at UPM Biochemicals. RFF contains 100% bio-based carbon content,
measured using the ASTM D6866 test method. RFF has been certified by DIN Certco for industrial, home,
18 COMPOUNDING WORLD | May 2024
and soil composting according to EN 13432, with unlimited use quantity in the final product. It has demonstrated conformity according to DIN EN ISO 224031 for biodegradability in the marine environ- ment. The company plans to apply for food-contact approvals after start-up of the pilot plant. RFF’s low material density (1.3 g/cm³) is a benefit for plastic applications, especially at high filler loadings. It has been demonstrated in various polymers, such as PE, PP, PBAT, PLA, ABS, PA and others, at loadings up to 40%. RFF can be used as an alternative black pigment to carbon black; it achieves black colouring with a slightly reddish and yellowish tone and is detectable in near infrared (NIR) sortation equipment in recycling facilities. UPM has been expanding its distribution network for RFF in plastics, which now includes Lehmann & Voss for the UK; Krahn Chemie Deutschland for the DACH region; Azelis for Italy, France, Turkey, and Benelux; Algol Chemicals in the Nordic and Baltic countries; Omya in Eastern Europe and Iberia; Kato Sansho in Japan; and Kangshin in South Korea.
Black fillers Dama BioPlastics, based in Denver, Colorado, US, has launched DamaBlack, a carbon-negative filler made from forestry and plant-waste biomass. “Each type of feedstock produces a different type of carbon,” says Cole Gibbs, Founder and CEO of Dama BioPlastics. Different grades are suited for various materials (such as concrete, rubber, or thermoplastics) and are available as powder or in a pelletised masterbatch. In thermoplastics, DamaBlack can replace fillers such as carbon black. In a vehicle bumper, for example, the filler is a one-to-one, drop-in replace-
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