MATERIALS | BIO-BASED POLYMERS


dle type Tremin 939, but its morphology creates some anisotropy in the compound. These fillers are used at levels between 20 and 40 wt.% in PLA compounds. Trefil platelet-shaped phlogopite mica can be used to improve thermal and mechanical properties in PLA compounds. They result in much reduced and more isotropic shrinkage, an increase in tensile strength and tensile modulus, and increased rigidity without compromising toughness. The use of the platelet-shaped kaolin in PLA compounds, meanwhile, significantly improves tensile strength and tensile modulus, as well as rigidity – again maintaining toughness.


Above: Nurel’s bioploymers plant


compatible with standard fillers, additives and biopolymer-based masterbatches. Another application that has been recently developed by using Inzea biopolymers is hunting cartridge studs. These parts are very demanding in terms of flexibility and resistance to impact since the cartridge has to absorb the energy of the shotgun impact. Most cartridges are not picked up after they fall to the ground, so biodegradability should be an important asset. In order to open up possible


Right: Several suppliers of biodegradable plastics are targeting coffee capsules. These are in Inzea from Nurel


fields of application of bio-based polymers in a broader field of application, the improvement of the thermal and mechanical properties of these polymers plays a decisive role, says Péter Sebö, Head of Marketing & Market Development at HPF The Mineral Engineers, a divi- sion of Quarzwerke Group. “The required property profiles can often not be met by the biopolymers alone. For this reason, they are modified with various filling and reinforcing materials.” Sebö highlights HPF’s Tremin 283 short-needle


I


and coated wollastonite flours for possible use in PLA. This product has long been used for a wide variety of polymers when freedom from distortion and high impact strength are required, says Sebö. Higher stiffness can be achieved with the long-nee-


Bio-based polyesters Major polymer producers are making more moves into biopolymers. For example, this May, BASF and Red Avenue New Materials Group signed a joint agreement that grants the latter a licence to produce and sell certified compostable aliphatic aromatic co-polyester (PBAT) “according to high BASF quality standards.” Red Avenue New Materials Group will build a 60,000 tpa PBAT plant in Shanghai, using BASF`s process technology in exchange for the access to raw material from this plant which BASF will sell as Ecoflex. Production at the new plant will start in 2022. Ecoflex, which was launched in


1998, is used as a blend with other


renewable raw materials to compound Ecovio, BASF’s certified compostable biopolymer. The renewable raw material content means that Ecovio is also partly bio-based. Typical applications for Ecovio are films and bags, but BASF says it also has injection moulding applications for Ecovio. Avantium recently announced that it will build a 5,000 tpa “flagship” plant in Delfzijl, Netherlands, scheduled to be ready in 2023, to produce FDCA, the bio-based feedstock for production of high performance polyesters such as PEF (polyethylene furanoate). Avantium is already producing FDCA


Table 1: Test results show that high performance fillers open up possibilities for property modification of PLA compounds. The stiffness is significantly increased by using needle-shaped fillers and the impact strength can be improved by using blocky additives (addition rates 20% in both cases). Effects can be further enhanced by using suitable surface coatings. Source: HPF


Tensile strength, MPa


Unfilled PLA PLA + Tremin 939-400 PLA + Tremin 283-600 MST 16 INJECTION WORLD | June 2020


66 71 -


Tensile modulus, MPa


3,260 7,390 4,590


Charpy impact strength, kJ/m2


22 -


25 www.injectionworld.com


IMAGE: NUREL


M


A G


E :


N


U R


E L


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  |  Page 59  |  Page 60