BIOPLASTICS | TECHNOLOGY
also been tested to show that they degrade in sea water. “IamNature degrades just like wood,” Martini says. “If I leave an ABB cover on the wall, it will last for years and years. But if it ends up in the soil or a stream, it will rot as microorganisms attack it. The great advantage of PHB over PLA and PBS is that it degrades in sea water and also in anaerobic conditions.” Turkish compounding company Tisan also
Right: The durable frames for this ABB switch are moulded in MAIP’s
PHB-based IamNature compound
reports a growing interest in sustainable and renewable plastics. The company’s research and development specialist Binnaz Kavuşturan says it is the responsibility of compounders to respond to that demand. It has offered a range of compounds with recycled content under the EcoStar brand name for some time – recycled compounds account for around 5,000 tonnes of its 35,000 tonne annual capacity. It is now extending its sustain- able offering with the development of a family of materials based on renewable polymers. BioStar grades are being developed around PLA and bio-based PA polymers reinforced with glass fibres, high bio-con- tent fillers and additives. The range will include grades modified with halogen-free flame retard- ants. Tisan is currently in the process of developing specifications and achieving appropriate certifica- tions for the compounds. Kavuşturan says the renewable content of the
products will range from 20% to 90% depending on the specific combination of polymer, reinforce- ment and other additives. Some of the compounds will be formulated to include biodegradability as a characteristic. However, its key target market of automotive is more likely to focus on renewable content and reduced lifetime emissions. Bio-Fed, a branch of Feddersen Group company
Akro-Plastic, produces biodegradable and biobased compounds under the brand name M∙Vera. The level of renewables in the biocom- pounds ranges from 30 to 100%. Application areas being targeted include coffee capsules, drinking straws and disposable cutlery; home-compostable films for starch-based bags for fruit and vegetables; and biodegradable films for agricultural applica- tions such as mulch films. All M·Vera compounds can be coloured using AF-Eco biopolymer-based masterbatches, which are certified by TÜV Austria in accordance with EN 13432.
32 COMPOUNDING WORLD | September 2019
Bio-based TPEs Following its acquisition of Italian compounding company API in 2017, Trinseo now offers a number of bioplastic thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) alongside more traditional types. It cites several challenges that have had to be overcome, includ- ing ensuring that the additives and colorants maintain the bio nature of the material. The company is a major supplier to the luxury
footwear industry where using bio-based materi- als is an important trend. At present, Trinseo’ s Apilon 52 Bio thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and its customised bio TPU colour masterbatches are being widely used by major premium brands. The company has more recently also begun targeting its expertise to other industries such as consumer electronics.
At Hexpol TPE Group, Global R&D Manager Klas Dannäs says interest in bio-based materials in the automotive industry has accelerated over the last few years. “It’s an upward trend. Our Dryflex Green TPEs are being adopted for several applications previously using conven- tional TPE compounds, both as a drop-in substitu-
tion, without the need for mould or tool modifica- tion, and also for new developments.” Dannäs says that, since most bio-based raw
materials in the market are quite hard, a major chal- lenge has been to develop compounds with high renewable content offering low hardness values while at the same time maintaining mechanical properties at acceptable levels. “With grades from 15 Shore A, Dryflex Green TPEs differ from other soft thermoplastic materials on the market by also including soft materials with high levels of renew- able content,” he says.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.condensia.com �
www.pttmcc.com �
www.abmcomposite.com �
www.bio-on.it �
www.biomer.de �
www.kaneka.co.jp �
www.maipsrl.com �
www.tisan.com.tr �
www.bio-fed.com �
www.trinseo.com �
www.hexpoltpe.com
www.compoundingworld.com
PHOTO: MAIP
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