MATERIALS | BIOPLASTICS
Right: Japan’s Seven Café is using Kaneka’s PHBH bioplastic to produce drinking straws
specially designed for injection moulding of parts with wall thicknesses up to 1mm. The company says it is particularly suitable for applications requiring high stiffness (it offers a tensile modulus of 2,000 MPa), making it a good choice for production of a wide range of parts such as household articles, packag- ing and coffee capsules. “This compound consists of almost 100% high-quality, renewable raw materials and is excellently suited for the production of rigid objects,” says Ulf Malcharczik, Business Development Manager at Bio-Fed. According to the compounder, food safety approval has also been granted. “Our customers are increasingly demanding products that meet all these mechani- cal properties, as well as the raw material origin and a corresponding end-of-life scenario,” he says.
Below: Ventilation covers are one potential application for the latest glass fibre reinforced Bio-Flex and Terralene compounds from FKuR
Alternative straws Kaneka’s PHBH plant-based biodegradable polymer is being used for production of straws by Japan’s Seven Cafés, and has been introduced in almost 21,000 Seven-Eleven stores across the country since last year (the 8mm diameter straws have been adapted to suit the distinctive bead- shaped ice cream used in Café Latte Sweets. PHBH is a 100% plant-based biodegradable polymer developed by Kaneka. The polyhydroxy- butylhexanoate polymer is a type of PHA and is said to offer good biodegradability under a wide range of environments. The resin (PHBH is used by Kaneka as a tradename) has attained OK Biode- gradable Marine certification, which recognises biodegradability in seawater. It is also on the
positive lists for the US FDA, Japan Hygienic Olefin and Styrene Plastics Association and the European Commission. German bioplastics specialist
FKuR has expanded its portfolio of bio-based thermoplastics for packaging, consumer product, sporting goods and technical part production. The latest additions include two glass-reinforced grades within the Bio-Flex and Terralene product family, both offering high rigidity, and three Terraprene TPE grades, one characterised by a high bio-content and the other two their oil-free formulation.
The company says Bio-Flex GF30 is a PLA based compound with a glass fibre content of 30%. This combines a relatively high stiffness of around 8,400 MPa with an equally high tensile strength of 70 MPa. Due to the high glass fibre content, the notched impact strength is also good, at 6.4 kJ/m², while wear resistance is also better than for unreinforced types. The grade is suitable for applications where high mechanical strength is required but not resistance to high temperatures or fire. The company cites examples such as housings, castors, gears, sports equipment, orthotic devices, pipes and pipe systems. According to FKuR, Bio-Flex GF30 offers a
calculated bio-based carbon content (BCC) of more than 70%. BCC is a measure of new organic carbon in a material (plant-derived, for example) compared to old organic carbon (oil-derived). Terralene GF30 is a bio-based PE compound with a glass fibre content of 30% and a calculated BCC of more than 94%. The stiffness of 4,800 MPa is significantly higher than that of mineral-filled grades. Wear resistance is also superior to unfilled grades. Pitched as a bio-based alternative to petrochemical-based glass reinforced PE grades, it is said to be suitable for production of engineering parts such as tubes, dowels and brackets, and orthotic devices. The new additions to FKuR’s bio-based Terra-
prene TPE compound family include SI 701 and SI 801 grades, which offer calculated BCC values ranging from 55-75% and are available in hard- nesses ranging from 40-80 Shore A. Properties are said to be similar to conventional TPE-S grades while typical applications include two-component injection moulding, where they offer good adhe- sion to polyolefins. Terraprene CI 250 84A and Terrapene CI 450 93A are oil-free TPEs with a
24 COMPOUNDING WORLD | September 2020
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: FKUR
IMAGE: KANEKA
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
