ADDITIVES | RECYCLING
issue. “There are many problems in the recycling business,” he says. “The biggest one is probably getting clean material (mono-material). Post-consumer material is usually very difficult to use for this reason. Another problem that is not spoken about so much is product liability. Recyclers must guarantee the full content of their material.” Improving processing and final
product performance of recycled
polymers remains paramount. “We address this with different combinations of Nexamite
Above: Many additives are available to improve the performance of recycled PET compounds and alloys
products and other additives, such as antioxidants and polymer processing aids in multifunctional masterbatches,” Öhrn says. “We also combine reactive extrusion that improves melt strength and physical performance with additives that further decrease the need for cleaning and unwanted production stops. Depending on the challenge the converter has processing the recycled plastic material we have four tools that can be used either stand-alone or combined. These tools are highly effective processing aids that help processing the plastic so that it flows easier, leaving fewer deposits
and less die build up. In addition, antioxidant combinations help to protect the polymer during processing from further deterioration. Nexamite can also form long chain branches improving melt strength, and finally we can choose a carrier that can further improve properties in the final product.” Nexam Chemical has recently introduced
Nexamite M480502 and M480504, PE0180 and PE0191 – a series of additive masterbatches designed for extrusion applications such as film, pipe and profile, as well as blow moulding applica- tions. The company has also launched several Nexamite masterbatches specifically designed for polyester industrial applications.
Performance tools Nexam says it will continue to create tools for recyclers to enhance the performance of their recycled material. “The reference point is the performance of virgin material,” Öhrn says. “In many cases recyclers are mixing recycled and virgin material. In those cases, we want to try to create solutions that will enable more recycled material to be used. A more difficult task is to create compatibilisers that can cope with the many different polymer fractions in recycled material and still enable high property levels.”
Compatibilised PP/PE alloy first for paint cans
UK-based paint manufacturer Crown has selected a compatibilised blend of 100% post-consumer PP and HDPE from ImerPlast for production of 2.5 and 5.0 litre retail and all 10 litre plastic paint cans. The injection moulded plastic cans are produced by Emballator Packaging using IM30 compound produced by ImerPlast, which is part of the Imerys Performance Additives business and is a leading European producer of recycled polyolefin compounds. ImerPlast describes the introduc-
tion of the new pot as a world first and “a significant step in the evolution of recycled resin.” The company says until now paint pots have rarely been produced with more than 25% recycled resin content. Even this has
58
ImerPlast claims Crown’s 100% PCR PP/PE alloy paint cans are a world first
sents significant and costly problems. Shrinkage of the IM30 compound is the same as standard polyolefins used in this application, so no signifi- cant changes to processing were required on the part of Emballa- tor. The compound also met Crown’s colour
O : I M
often been post-industrial rather than post-consumer material as the mechanical requirements for this application are demanding, it says. ImerPlast’s IM30 is an alloy of PP and HDPE compatiblised using a patented mineral-based compatibi- liser. It is designed to achieve an optimum stiffness/toughness balance that allowed it to pass Crown’s in-use testing requirements – a pot that leaks or cracks in transit or in-store repre-
COMPOUNDING WORLD | September 2018
requirements and is claimed to be fully miscible with both PP and PE when recycled.
Imerys claims its patented coated
mineral additive technology – intro- duced under the ImerLink name – both modifies the miscibility of the PP and PE phases and creates a network of bonds between them. Performance is said to be superior to olefin block copolymer compatibilisers. The materials are only available through Imerys Performance Additives’ formulation service. �
www.imerys-performance-additives.com
www.compoundingworld.com
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