ADDITIVES | RECYCLING
Additives hold the key to better recycling
Lifting the quality — and quantity — of recycled plastics will require specialty additives. Chris Saunders reviews the latest developments
With plastic producers and their customers placing an ever-increasing focus on sustainability goals, demand for recycled content is growing and its use proving critical in meeting targets. However, the mechanical recycling process subjects polymer materials to intensive mechanical forces and elevated temperatures, leading to degradation that can compromise mechanical, thermal, or rheologi- cal qualities. To overcome this challenge a growing range of additives designed to restore diminished properties are being developed and employed. Alper Aksit, Marketing Manager Compounds
and Circular Plastics EMEA at specialty chemical company Evonik, puts the challenge into perspec- tive. “Despite recent improvements in plastic waste streams and better recycling infrastructure across the globe, the high costs and technical challenge of yielding polymers of high enough quality have meant only around 100 million tonnes of plastic has been recycled so far.” Earlier this year, Evonik introduced a range of additives under the brand name Tego Cycle intended to help lift recycling volumes. Designed primarily to save energy during the recycling process, the additives are said to also improve the quality of recycled polymers and can be used at each stage of the value chain. During the wet stage, Tego Cycle additives can enhance the cleaning process, allowing more effective removal of contaminants and residues, such as inks. High moisture content can negatively impact the quality of recycled plastics, and can be managed with Teco Cycle DW dewatering agents. Unpleasant odours, another common issue, can be mitigated using Tego Sorb. And Tego Cycle CP, a compatibiliser, can help achieve acceptable blending of diverse and incompatible plastics,
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allowing creation of high-quality recycled materials with consistent properties. DeltaMax Performance Modifiers are a family of masterbatch products designed by Milliken for use with polypropylene (PP), which when recycled seldom provides a suitable balance of high impact with stiffness and melt flow for many injection moulded applications. DeltaMax Performance Modifiers are designed to enable converters to enhance the impact and melt flow of their resins, allowing them to design parts with higher impact resistance and thinner wall sections, to run machines on faster cycle times or at lower temperatures, and to reduce the use of costly impact modifiers. Introduced late last year, Milliken’s latest DeltaFlow viscosity modifiers are designed specifically to help recyclers increase the melt flow rate of rPP for extrusion and injection moulding applications. This allows for lower processing temperatures, which in turn enables manufacturers to reduce cycle times, raise productivity and improve processability. The additive is offered as a free-flowing dust-free masterbatch, which makes it easy to feed and handle.
Main image: Lifting the quality of recycled plastics is being made possible using targeted additive
technologies
� October 2023 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 27
IMAGE: EVONIK
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