ADDITIVES | MATERIALS
Pirttijarvi, Project Manager at the University’s Innovation Factory – have created what they call “ReCon2
Rowalid EcoPA-B095A Black rCB is a new ” (spoken as “ReCon Squared” and intend-
ed as an abbreviation for “Recycled Content Reconnaissance”). The key to this technology is a fluorescent additive, in minute concentrations, that doesn’t alter the optical properties of a plastic – at least not to the human eye – but can be detected through fluorescence spectrography (fluorimetry). Under fluorimetry the intensity of flourescence acts not only as an indicator of the additive’s concentration but also how diluted it has become with virgin and/or other recycled polymers. This lets recyclers and compounders produce master- batches with a recyclable concentration that is traceable through a “fluorescent signature” which can be read if and when claimed recycled content percentages are audited for veracity. The ReCon2
approach provides a rapid measure-
ment of recycled content either in individual polymer feedstocks or in the end-use packaging products, something which existing commercially available methods cannot match. The team has seen success with most high volume packaging plastics including HDPE, LDPE, PP and PET. They also think it could be used for PVC, PS and specialty plastics. While the process was developed for mechanical recycling, the team believes it could be adapted for chemically recycled feedstocks. The fluorescent tracking materials are US
FDA-approved for food contact packaging which do not affect the chemical properties of the polymers under processing, nor affect the taste or odour of food and beverages for which the packag- ing is used. But the team needs to investigate the tracker’s compatibility with other additives and how it reacts in large scale trials, and is looking for early adopting partners – particularly within packaging and recycling supply chains – to accelerate the commercialisation of this technology.
product from Germany-based Rowa Masterbatch. The company says the carrier material of the masterbatch is based on high-quality post-industri- al recycled PA. The colourant used is a recovered carbon black, sourced from waste tyres, which is considered a more sustainable substitute for industrial carbon black. Recovered carbon black gives plastics a black colouration, UV protection and opacity. It is obtained through the pyrolysis process: used tyres are heated to between 250 and 750°C without the presence of oxygen and subsequently broken down into smaller molecules. This process typically produces a highly aromatic pyrolysis oil (approximately 45%), crude pyrolysis carbon black (approximately 33%), recycled steel (approximately 12%), and a non-condensable hydrocarbon gas (approximately 10%). Through grinding and granulation, the crude pyrolysis carbon black can then be processed to recovered carbon black and further treated as required. Rowa says its new black masterbatch is ideally suited for applications in automotive engineering, electronics and electrical engineering, construc- tion, and sports and leisure products Rowa also produces Rowalid-IR, a masterbatch solution which makes black and dark plastics detectable by NIR sorting systems.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
https://plastics-rubber.basf.com �
www.brunel.ac.uk �
www.polymateria.com �
www.imperial.ac.uk �
www.heartland.io �
https://rma.ravagomanufacturing.com �
www.milliken.com �
www.ferrero.com �
www.manchester.ac.uk �
https://smihub.ac.uk �
www.rowa-masterbatch.de
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Hall 9, Booth A28
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