RECYCLING | ADDITIVES
Additives are key to unlocking PCR value
Incorporating higher levels of PCR into more technically demanding applications will require the use of custom-developed additive
technologies.Peter Mapleston finds out more
The plastics industry is working hard to find ways to incorporate higher content of recyclate – especially post-consumer recyclate – in many key applications in order to meet sustainability goals driven by both growing consumer concern and stricter regulatory requirements. One of the major challenges is to mitigate the quality deficiencies of polymers arising from thermal and mechanical stress they are exposed to during the recycling process. Recycled plastics often contain impurities and polymer contaminants that can accelerate polymer degradation. This can change material properties and present quality and performance issues for those processing recycled polymeric material. “Formulated additive packages improving the properties of these recycled plastics can be a solution for this challenge,” according to BASF, which last month launched IrgaCycle, its new range of additive solutions that is said to address imminent needs in recycling plastics, principally of polyolefins. “The production of plastics from mechanical
recycling is expected to almost triple by 2030, driven by improved technologies and regulation. This corresponds to a growth of around 10% per year,” says Dr Thomas Kloster, President of BASF’s Performance Chemicals division. “With IrgaCycle we are expanding our existing portfolio step by step by specific solutions for recycling.” The new IrgaCycle range includes additive solutions that can help increase the percentage of recycled content in applications that include packaging, automotive, and construction. “These
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Main image: Pressure is on to make better use of post-con- sumer recyclate, with additives one of the potential enablers
solutions address specific quality issues associated with recycled resins, such as limited processability, poor long-term thermal stability and insufficient protection from outdoor weathering,” says the company. The product line currently includes a range of five formulations, with more to follow. “We have formulated these solutions based on our extensive experience in the plastics industry, combining the high quality of our antioxidants and light stabiliser systems with our application expertise,” says Dr Volker Bach, Global Lead Innovation at BASF Plastic Additives. The five available grades include: IrgaCycle PS
030 G, which enhances long-term thermal stability in rigid applications and is intended mainly for recycled HDPE, polyolefins and mixed polymers; IrgaCycle PS 031 G for improving processing and long-term thermal stability of recycled LDPE and LLDPE for incorporation into films and related flexible packaging applications; IrgaCycle PS 032 G, which provides processing stability and long-
October 2021 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 63
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