PIGMENTS | BLACK AND WHITE


granular and low dusting powder forms. Another newly launched pigment preparation,


Microlith Black K 0087 KP, is intended for use in PVC, where it is said to offer improved dispersion, higher jetness and higher NIR-transparency. According to the company, NIR-transparent pigments allow NIR light to pass through without reflection or absorption so can be considered detectable by NIR sorting systems. Applications for the new grade include PVC window profiles or automotive interiors, where it can provide im- proved heat management.


Above: Sun Chemical offers a variety of IR reflective black pigments suitable for automated sorting in recycling plants


Shepherd Color’s NIR-detectable black pigments


Right: Avient’s OnColor NIR sortable colorants have attained APR “Meets Preferred Guidance recognition for use in HDPE


for recyclable packaging are Shepherd Color Black 10F925, with a darker masstone colour, and Black 10F951, which is said to be optimised for tinting mid-tone colours or previously coloured PCR material. Both have FDA food contact notification. Ryan sees IR-reflective technology as a good solution for making black plastics recyclable. “It is hard to beat the cost-to-colour for carbon black pigments, but the benefits of using IR technology to make black plastics more sustainable by improv- ing recyclability is fractions of a cent per container. It often takes regulations to put new technology into common use to overcome that inertia to innovation,” he says. NIR sorting technology has been widely adopted for plastics waste recycling worldwide, according to Sun Chemical, which says that its NIR-reflective Sicopal Black K 0098 FK pigment has been used successfully in plastic sorting plant in Europe, Austral- ia, and the US. “As the availability of equipment and infrastructure increases to match demand, we expect to see more countries embracing NIR sorting technologies and reflective pigments,” it says. The Sicopal Black pigment, which reflects NIR, can serve as the main or a shading component for black and coloured plastics. “The new pigment creates a clean product for packaging, lowers energy usage in manufacturing compared to carbon black, features multiple processing stability for more product life cycles, and enables dark and black formulations to be recyclable,” the company claims. The pigment can be used in polyolefins and engineering plastics, including high heat polymers. It also meets food contact compliance regulations, including microwave and oven conditions, in regions Including the EU, Japan and the US. Sun Chemical’s Microlen Black 0089 MP and Eupolen PE Black 00-9805 pigment preparations are also NIR-reflective and have recently been made available in two new easier to handle


20 COMPOUNDING WORLD | November 2023


Sorting selection Plastics industry specialists are generally aware of the multiple alternatives to carbon black that are suitable for NIR sorting, says Marc Zwart, Technical Manager at Heubach. “However, given the large number of options, it becomes more difficult for the designer and the masterbatch producer to select the right one,” he says. “To choose between complex inorganic colour pigments or compounds of organic pigments or dyes, or a blend of all, is a difficult task. They must consider the suitability for the polymer, the black jetness/darkness, the shade, the various fastnesses (for example, light, temperature, migration), food contact compliance, and the coloration costs. Therefore, the technical support, industry and application knowledge of the pigment partner is of high importance,” Zwart says. Heubach Group Head of Marketing for Plastics, Philippe Lazerme adds: “Black as a colour will remain important in the packaging industry, especially for high-end articles, typically in the cosmetic and beauty industry. Black packaging provides a feeling of high value.” The latest black additions from Heubach are two


grades based on organic pigments and dyes that are suited for NIR sorting: Graphtol Black CLN for


www.compoundingworld.com


IMAGE: SUN CHEMICAL


IMAGE: AVIENT/GETTYIMAGES


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