NATURAL FILLERS | ADDITIVES
Ng Jun Jye, Managing Director at Unique Polymer, sees a shift away from compostable plastics, both for cost savings and because not all regions can handle compostable waste. “We are focusing on carbon footprint, as major
corporations are also focusing on this,” he said. Bio- based compounds containing biomass reduce cost and carbon footprint, and biomass from “upcycled waste” has zero carbon footprint, said Jye. Japan is one region of growth for low carbon footprint products, and the company’s NX-70 masterbatch was recently certified to use the JORA Biomass mark in Japan. Film has been a more challenging application for bio-fillers than thicker moulded or extruded parts, but Jye said that the company can now produce particle sizes small enough to work in blown film as thin as 10 microns. Possible applications include shopping bags, lamination film, and garbage bags.
Bamboo composites YTC America (YTCA), a US-based advanced materials and energy research centre that is a wholly owned US subsidiary of Japan’s Yazaki
Corporation, has developed a sustainable PP/ bamboo composite designed to reduce carbon emissions while maintaining performance for demanding applications. The formulation replaces part of the fossil-based polymer and conventional mineral filler with renewable bamboo, which was selected for its mechanical properties and its rapid growth and high carbon-sequestration capacity. “The PP/bamboo eco-composite provides an
approximately 50% lower carbon footprint than a conventional PP/talc composite based on the materials utilized. Several bamboo species were evaluated to understand differences in structure, consistency and supply-chain suitability,” said Rajkiran Tiwari, R&D Manager at YTCA. The researchers optimized the adhesion between bamboo fibres and the PP polymer matrix, resulting in improved load transfer. “The resulting material offers the impact strength, heat resistance, and other key properties comparable or superior to those obtained by conventional PP and PP/talc composite formulations. The mechanical properties of the PP/bamboo composite can be tailored to meet specific application requirements
Above: Battery cap moulded in PP/bamboo composite from YTCA
IMAGE: YTCA
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