PIGMENTS | BLACK AND WHITE
Above: Six of Cabot’s global sites now carry ISCC Plus accreditation, including two compound and masterbatch production sites in Europe
polyolefins and Solvaperm Black PCR for PET. “Demand for these products is steadily growing and Heubach is permanently investing in produc- tion processes,” says Lazerme. While NIR is used in packaging recycling plant to identify resin types, optical sensors are used in the PET recycling sector to separate black and coloured containers from clear ones. French recycling equipment company Pellenc says that this optical sorting equipment can not always distin- guish between dark and transparent containers. It worked with masterbatch supplier Ampacet on sorting tests using black PET packaging containing Ampacet’s REC-NIR Black 135 NIR-sortable masterbatch. The researchers found they were able to adjust the optical sorting computer algorithm to correctly distinguish between the black packages and transparent ones (Ampacet has also completed successful tests with recycling solutions company Tomra). The masterbatch maker has now obtained a technical notice from COTREP (the committee for recycling of plastic packaging in France) that says that its REC-NIR Black 135 meets COTREP’s more stringent protocols for sorting PET containers. The US Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) publishes guidelines for how well packaging can be sorted at material recovery facilities. Avient says its NIR-sortable black and dark colorants for HDPE have been recognised under APR’s “Meets Pre- ferred Guidance” program. Testing is also under- way for OnColor NIR Sortable Colorants in PP. Plasblack PE8590NIR NIR detectable black masterbatch is one of the more recent additions to Cabot’s portfolio. The company is currently running a project to develop a range of sortable carbon black masterbatches for use in the consumer packaging industry, where NIR sorting equipment is used. “This includes close collaboration with NIR sorting machine companies and with our customers.
22 COMPOUNDING WORLD | November 2023
We believe working in partnership with value chain members will facilitate the development of this product line. We welcome other interested partners to participate as well,” says Bernadette Corujo, Cabot’s Specialty Compounds Marketing Manager, Americas region. NIR sorting issues aside, carbon black continues to be widely used in plastics for pigmenting. In addition to high tinting strength and relatively low cost, carbon black absorbs UV light and so pro- vides weathering protection for plastics, according to Dominique Strassler, Global Segment Manager Plastics at Cabot. He sees growth potential in construction markets, such as geomembranes and pressure pipes, as well as agricultural films. Strassler says Cabot’s Black Pearls 1180HD carbon black, which was introduced several years ago primarily for use with higher-end polar engineering plastics, is now also finding use in compounds made with recycled resins. He reports that compounders are finding value in the combi- nation of deep black colour and mechanical properties that the product provides. “Black Pearls 1180HD carbon black allows those compounders to cost-optimise their input materials and maximise the amount of post-industrial and post-consumer in their formulations while still meeting the perfor- mance targets of their products.”
Automotive options Cabot’s latest product selection for automotive and other segments includes three high jetness, high dispersion black masterbatches. Plasblak XP6399D black masterbatch is suitable for PC-based applica- tions in automotive interior and exterior parts and consumer electronics, or in appliances requiring high gloss and superior mechanical strength, says Alexandra Megally, Specialty Compounds Market- ing Manager, EMEA.
Plasblak SA6801 black masterbatch is intended for use in automotive and consumer product related applications. “It enables compounders to break the trade-off between colour and mechanical properties by allowing better impact properties without sacrificing colour strength,” Megally says. “It also enables lower masterbatch and carbon black loadings in the final compounding, providing formulation flexibility to meet stricter customer performance requirements.” Plasblak XP6559A Polyamide 6 black master-
batch allows high jetness in PA compounds. The product enables users to reduce the masterbatch and carbon black dosage up to three times, without compromising UV resistance, which also improves mechanical properties, she says.
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IMAGE: CABOT CORPORATION
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