ADDITIVES | MINERAL FILLERS
Above: Hoffmann Mineral says its Neuburg Siliceous Earth silica fillers offers a low carbon-foot- print option
impact as low as possible,” he said. Heckl says that in addition to sustainability, low density is a key property for mineral fillers, espe- cially for automotive applications. The company’s latest product family of “tailored filler solutions” was launched in September 2021 and some of them bring the potential for weight reduction, volume cost reduction and lower density in thermoplastics. Gloxil iM16k A and the newest Gloxil iM16k MAM grade, which was introduced in June last year, are based on hollow glass micro- spheres from 3M. The recent US-government initiative to increase the use of bio-based materials may give a boost to bio-based polymer producess, including traditional polymers made with bio-based feedstock as well as bio-based and biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), and bio-polybutylene succinate (PBS).
Melt processing of these bio-based polymers can be limited by their low melt strength and thermal degradation during processing, which can also affect rheological and mechanical properties. However, the addition of minerals can help overcome these processing challenges and can enable viable commercial production, says Bidur Rijal, materials scientist for plastics and rubber at Imerys Performance Minerals in the US. Mineral fillers can also help balance the typically higher cost of bio-based plastics compared to conventional plastics. In addition, Rijal says minerals can boost the mechanical and thermal properties of the finished part, depending on the formulation. For example, Imerys’s high-aspect ratio (HAR) wollastonite minerals can be used to maximise stiffness/impact balance and dimensional stability; HAR mica can be used to maximise stiffness and isotropic performance; and HAR kaolin may be used to improve barrier and me- chanical properties and promote the biodegrada- bility of composite films.
Property retention Imerys’s ultrafine ground calcium carbonate (GCC), including its treated Supercoat and FilmLink families, are designed for property retention and improved processability and cost. The company’s ultrafine and HAR talcs, available in Europe and Asia-Pacific regions only, are used for nucleation and stiffness/impact balance.
Experiments carried out by Imerys comparing
two grades of GCC in Ingeo 2003D PLA from Natureworks found that adding GCC to a cast film formulation improved impact strength and main-
rPET recycling solutions
viscoSHEET Up to 100 % rPET and inhouse flakes processable at guaranteed iV-Levels for direct food contact.
IMAGE: HOFFMANN MINERAL
foodgrade without compromise
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
