ADDITIVES | RECYCLING
Baeropol T-Series blends can improve melt stability and reduce yellowing in recycled polymers
Technical Director at Baerlocher. In PCR, however, greater variation is a challenge due to the potential for the presence of a variety of resins and organic residues. “Testing to see what is typically in a particular feedstream is important,” he says. Baerlocher’s US laboratory at Cincinnati in Ohio is equipped to determine what resin types are in a PCR stream. Staff can also test the response of a PCR stream to a particular T-blend and help determine what loadings will be needed to obtain the desired properties. One of the components of T-blends is Baerloch-
re-stabilise recycled HDPE, using PCR from bottle crates. They found that re-stabilisation was certainly necessary; recycled HDPE without additional stabilisation exhibited complete failure in acceler- ated weathering tests after 2,000 hours of expo- sure. Restabilisation, however, was found to be successful in improving molecular weight retention and weatherability. Keller says BASF is one of the founding companies
in the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, but its goals extend beyond waste. “For BASF, circular economy is much more than waste management. The aim is to close cycles and use products and resources in the best way possible across the entire value chain,” he says.
Right: Odour is frequently an issue in recycling of post consumer plastic scrap
Recycling on the rise Roberto Nunez, Special Additives Business Head at Baerlocher USA agrees that recycling awareness is growing in the US. “In the past year there have been tremendous changes,” he says. “Brand owners want more recycled material, so – although it’s difficult to make money in recycling – the industry is trying to improve the quality of recyclate to make it useable.” Stabilisation is a key area of activity. Baerlocher’s new Baeropol T-blends are synergistic stabiliser blends formulated for use with both virgin and recycled polymers. They are designed to improve melt stability, minimise yellowness, and help maintain properties of the final part for longer. Specific blends are formulated for particular resin families, including T-Blend 1102 for HDPE and PP, T-Blend 1214 for HDPE and PP in higher tempera- ture processes, and T-Blend 6102 for LLDPE and HDPE film.
In post-industrial recyclate, stabilisers help with upcycling to higher-end, tailored solutions, says Dr Robert Sherman, Special Additives Business
32 COMPOUNDING WORLD | October 2019
www.compoundingworld.com
er’s Baeropol resin stabilisation technology (RST) additives. These are acid scavengers, but they also act as secondary stabilisers and lubricants. They can be used in formulations to replace phosphite stabilisers or along with phosphites to boost properties and lower yellowness.
The odour challenge A common problem in recycled resin is odour – usually bad odour. Addisperse has developed odour elimination concentrates that chemically interact with malodourous volatiles in the vapour state. The concentrates are targeted at the com- mon malodours in PCR, with the company claiming success in eliminating odours from PCR fish crates, recycled tyres and chicken coop mats, for example. The company’s additives can also neutralise odour associated with natural fillers, such as lignin, algae, and cellulose, and with processing and reprocess- ing of polymers. It offers ON 106 as a free-flowing powder on a talc or calcium carbonate filler, and ON 108 as a PE pellet concentrate. The powder form is recommended for powder blends and for mixing with regrind prior to compounding. Most odours in compounds are the result of amines and or sulphur volatile components formed
PHOTO: BAERLOCHER
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
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