RECYCLING | ADDITIVES
Adding to the mix: PCR-based materials
Stabilisers, compatibilisers and other additives counteract problems associated with increasing levels of post-consumer recyclate. Jennifer Markarian reports on new products
Companies want to increase recycled content in their products without sacrificing quality or performance. Yet recycled content from post-con- sumer recyclate (PCR) is notorious for higher variability in viscosity, colour and other properties as well as increased risk of degradation in the polymer, contamination, gels and other issues. One of the ways to handle these challenges is increased sorting and quality control of incoming material. As well as this, a wide range of additives, including stabilisers, compatibilisers, processing aids, viscosity modifiers and reinforcing fillers can also be used to remedy problems and boost properties to counteract the effects of increasing PCR content. The goal is to allow greater use of PCR while maintaining processability and meeting perfor- mance specifications for the end-use. New stabilisation systems go beyond the conventional antioxidant packages to do more than prevent oxidation, said James Gacek, Execu-
www.compoundingworld.com
tive Vice President and Managing Director for the Americas at Chitec Technology. “Conventional antioxidant systems typically rely on combinations of primary phenolic and secondary phosphite antioxidants to minimise thermo-oxida- tive degradation during extrusion. While effective, these systems may still allow chain scission, molecu- lar weight loss, additive depletion, and deterioration of melt flow properties during demanding process- ing conditions. Today’s formulations require addi- tives that protect polymer molecular weight, preserve processing stability, and improve overall manufacturing efficiency,” Gacek explained. New from Chitec is Revonox 501, a multifunc-
tional processing stabiliser based on a redesigned benzofuranone molecular architecture. Gacek said that the additive combines efficient carbon-cen- tered radical scavenging with thermal stability in a single molecule. It is particularly beneficial for recycled materials, where multiple thermal histories
October 2026 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 47
Main image: problems caused by recycled material can be addressed with additives
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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