MATERIALS | ADDITIVES
wanted to partner with a world-class manufacturer of plastic additives like BASF to improve the quality of our recyclates. With its in-depth expertise in plastic additives, BASF supports us in this core area by improving the processing and long-term stability of highly contaminated recycled plastic fractions.” BASF states that its IrgaCycle additives help
increase the percentage of mechanically recy- cled content in several end-use applications in areas such as packaging, automotive and mobility, and building and construction. The additives are designed to address specific quality issues associated with recycled resins, such as limited processability, poor long-term thermal stability and insufficient protection from outdoor weathering. Two universities in the UK have recently revealed
Below: Polymateria has developed an additive allowing bio-based plastic to be recycled before decomposition
their research into plastics recycling. Researchers at Brunel University London discovered that bottles containing recycled PET (rPET) can contain higher concentrations of Food Contact Chemicals (FCCs) than bottles made using virgin PET. FCCs are commonly found in packaged food and drink, with most considered safe in modest concentrations. However, looking at rPET bottles, the researchers found that of the 150 FCCs they were tracing, 18 were found to be in higher concentrations than regulations permit. The researchers believe this suggests problems with the process of PET recycling, leading to contamination. “We found these chemicals can come from various sources, such as the catalysts and additives used during production and degradation during PET production, and degradation that can happen across a bottle’s lifecycle,” says the study’s leader, Eleni Iacovidou, a lecturer from Brunel’s Centre for Pollution Research and Policy. However the report, published in the Journal of
Above: Zhejiang Reef Technology will use BASF IrgaCycle additives to improve the processing and long-term stability of recycled plastics fractions strongly contaminated with paint, ink or adhesive residues, such as car bumpers
Hazardous Materials, recognises that factors other than catalysts and additives could be responsible for high levels of FCCs, including the conditions in which bottles are filled and stored, and exposure to high levels of sunlight and humidity. Iacovidou says: “By investing in new super-
cleaning technologies, we can maximise the likelihood of decontaminating recycled PET to levels similar to virgin PET.” Though Iacovidou believes the ultimate solution is to start weening ourselves off the use of PET altogether. Also in London, at Imperial College’s White City
campus, researchers have developed what they claim to be the world’s first biodegradable plastic that can also be recycled. A technology startup, Polymateria, based at Imperial College London, has created a plastic film for packaging, and a rigid version of the material, for disposable drinking cups, that decomposes within 226 days. At the heart of what Polymateria calls “biotrans-
formation” is a plastics additive that alters the properties of the plastic to make it attractive to the microbes and fungi that will ultimately digest it. Products made with the company’s plastic will bear a “recycle date” to indicate that the plastic hasn’t begun its decomposition and will still be suitable for mechanical recycling. Polymateria CEO Niall Dunne says: “For too
long, it has been assumed that biodegradable material cannot also be recycled. Our technology is changing perceptions. Products containing our technology should be recycled as a matter of priority, but any items escaping the system will return to nature at the right time without causing
42 PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | March/April 2022
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
IMAGE: POLYMATERIA
IMAGE: BASF
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