WATERPROOF MEMBRANES | MATERIALS
The latest waterproof membranes have higher performance, last longer and are more environmentally friendly thanks mainly to materials innovations
Staying dry: advances in waterproof membranes
Waterproof membranes, used in applications as diverse as reservoirs and roofing, are becoming more sophisticated – as production methods and new materials help to raise their performance and extend lifetimes. Delegates at the recent Waterproof Membranes
conference, organised by AMI, heard about some of these new materials and techniques. Roberto Cardinale, co-CEO of Tecnofilm, told
delegates that his company has filed several patents for new materials for use in bitumen-based membranes. Its RD Prene series of materials are derived in
part from used car tyres – one of the main waste streams in the automotive industry, accounting for around 3.2 million tonnes every year. “We produce modified bitumen – similar to that
of products obtained through the modification of bitumen with higher performance (SBS) – using end-of-life materials and SBS with specific properties and using a particular production process,” he said. Modified bitumen with RD Prene has a number of advantages, he said, including energy saving
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and a saving of natural resources – through the recycling end-of-life materials – and a reduction of waste going to landfill. He said that the grades are cheaper than those
using traditional virgin SBS – because the SBS from tyres is cheaper and has a more stable price. One grade, RD Prene CPR/3T is based on radial SBS and rubber powder. It improves the properties of bitumen, and can be used in combination with SBS and PP/PE compounds in formulations for waterproof membranes. One advantage, he said, is that it can improve their flexibility. A second grade, RD Prene Tak, can be used on conjunction with tackifiers and used in self-adhe- sive membranes, but at lower cost.
Hot stuff Alexander Kulichenko, technical director of Netherlands-based Europiren, described how a modified magnesium hydroxide mineral – called brucite – has been used to improve the flame retardancy of roofing membranes. When it is extracted, brucite is contaminated
May 2020 | FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION 13
Main image: Tecnofilm is part of an EU-wide project, Ecomobi, that is using recycled tyres as a bitumen modifier in applications such as waterproof membranes
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