COLOUR | PIGMENTS
Right: Clariant’s PV Fast pigments are produced from renew- able raw materials and some are suitable for compostable applications
ing automotive, industrial coatings and engineered plastics markets, the company says. The sale of the Bushy Park business addresses competition concerns raised by regulators over supply of these pigment types.
Sustainable interest Beyond this recent spate of M&A activity, the pigment market is seeing increasing interest in sustainable products and applications. Sun Chemical’s Kujat says many polymer processors are looking at bio-based and compostable formu- lations as part of a move to more sustainable solutions. Compostable products can be challeng- ing as all ingredients, including colorants, must comply with standards for composition, disintegra- tion, biodegradation and ecotoxicity. Within the European Union, EN 13432:2000 is the standard for compostable and biodegradable packaging. It is connected to the European Directive on Packag- ing and Packaging Waste (94/62/EC) and all plastic packaging and materials going into such packag- ing can be certified to meet the standard. “We have a product range that covers the full colour space aimed at colouring compostable plastics. These pigments must meet regulatory requirements for low heavy metals and low NIAS [non-intentionally added substances]. Although end-use colorant compositions are typically found at low percentages in final formulations, high purity is required by many brand owners. Even low levels of detected NIAS can be problematic in the final article,” says Kujat. In addition to the current offering of EN 13432
certified pigments, Kujat says the company is working on an optimised blue pigment preparation to allow higher dosage and more freedom in colour matching for compostable and biodegrad- able plastics. He says that the colorant under development will allow a much higher dosage than standard phthalocyanines and is based on an EN 13432 certified pigment. The Clariant Pigments business has also been active in developing pigments that can go into compostable applications. The company said earlier this summer that nine of the products in its PV Fast and Graphtol pigment ranges fully comply with EN 13432 standards (when not used above the maxi- mum concentration in the final plastic product) and are certified by TÜV Austria with the OK compost industrial label. The organic pigments that are now certified offer bright colours — including yellow, orange, red, pink, blue and green — for biodegrad- able plastics suitable for industrial composting. Having organic pigments certified for EN 13432
18 COMPOUNDING WORLD | September 2021
is a key development. Some common organic colorants that can produce bright colours are not biodegradable and some contain heavy metals, according to Tony Bruce, Performance Chemicals Sales Manager at Cornelius, a UK-headquartered European chemical supplier with a product range that includes pigments for plastics. “Bright colour packaging is precisely an area that is starting to be penetrated by compostable plastics,” he says. Inorganic pigments for compostable or biode-
gradable polymers must also be chosen carefully. Ferro — which announced in May this year it was to be acquired by American Securities portfolio company Prince International Corporation for around $2.1bn — says that some of its food contact grade pigments, including ultramarine and iron oxide pigments, fulfill the requirements of EN 13432.
Heavy metals According to Stefano Bartolucci, global market segment manager for plastics in the Inorganic Pigments (IPG) business unit at Lanxess: “Due to regulated heavy-metal levels, certain pigment classes cannot be used for colouring biodegrad- able plastics made from renewable or fossil resources. This is the case with, for example, nickel, chrome or copper-based pigments.” Lanxess says that its Colortherm brand of iron
oxide pigments are, however, almost completely free from heavy metals. The company’s lab service can measure heavy metal content to help custom- ers determine maximum pigment concentration allowed in biodegradable or compostable poly- mers. “The limits for biodegradable plastics can be reliably maintained, even with a high pigment content,” says Bartolucci. Regulations covering health and safety and sustainability, particularly in the EU, continue to
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IMAGE: CLARIANT
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