MATERIALS | POLYOLEFIN ADDITIVES


land and McIntosh in Alabama in the US. It says the two sites are acting as pilots prior to global implementation.


Floating ideas


BASF has also developed a new UV stabiliser system, Tinuvin 2730 ED, which is formulated to extend the lifetime of polyolefin in high exposure conditions to more than 30 years. The company expects it to play a role in expanding installation of floating plastic photovoltaic (PV) systems, which provide an alternative to land-based installations that do not compete with agriculture or other requirements. A proof-of-concept floating solar system has


already been installed at BASF’s McIntosh additives manufacturing site at Alabama in the US as part of its 2050 net zero CO2


emissionsprogramme.


Developed in conjunction with Noria Energy, the floating pontoon solar system features a flat-pack design based around a TPO floating frame. The pilot system powers three aerators that are used to improve water quality in a pond at the facility. “Now that we have the installation and the proof


of concept at McIntosh, they’re [Noria Energy] working with our energy management team to look at installations at our Wyandotte site. That’s also going to be a large-scale pilot for the Noria-specific


design, which will be a hundred times the size of the pilot we have in place. We’re also looking into our Geismar Verbund site, which currently can support a 5 MW system,” according to Neil DeLog- gio, BASF’s business development manager for plastic additives in the Americas. The Baeropol T-Blend product line from Baerlocher, which includes its Baeropol RST stabiliser, has formed the basis for a set of additive blends that it says have been found to be particu- larly useful in polyolefin recycling applications. The additives are available in a dust-free pastille form, which is good for recyclers that often struggle to handle powders. Baerlocher says that the Baeropol T-Blends are also playing a role in film reprocessing, where they can be fed directly into the cutter-compactor unit using low-cost volumetric feeders. The company says the improved quality of the recycled material is evident in, for example, blown film production where gelling and bubble breaking is reduced and more homogenous mechanical performance is achieved.


Making predictions Researchers at Fraunhofer LBF (Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability) say they have developed an online rheological investigation


Stabilisation key to TPO roofing success


Polyolefin-based roofing membranes have achieved a prominent position in low-slope roofing solutions in North America, according to Andrea Landuzzi, global marketing director technology solutions – polymer additives at Solvay, and that success is now spurring considerable interest in both Europe and Asia, where TPO products are gaining market share against PVC, bitumen and other materials. The key attractions of TPO mem-


branes include good physical performance, puncture resistance, flexibility, and ease of fabrication, installation and sealing. A further attraction, Landuzzi says, is that they are design-friendly, supporting easy integration of building integrated and building applied photovoltaic (BIPV and BAPV) systems.


Extending service lifetimes is an 22 IMAGE: SOLVAY


Solvay says latest TPO roofing membranes require advanced stabilisation chemistry


important goal for membrane manufacturers, who are looking for advanced stabilisation systems that provide the required durability in the most extreme thermal and UV conditions and that will accommodate forecast climate change impacts. Solvay’s Cyasorb Cynergy Solutions B Series stabilisers are said to provide very good UV resistance (to 60 kJ/m2


) FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | December 2023


and thermal stability (up to 135°C) in TPO membrane formulations, surpass- ing the current standards for TPO sheet roofing in North America, Europe and China. Membranes produced using the additive are discoloration resistant and protected against microcrack formation, the company says. � www.solvay.com


www.filmandsheet.com


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