MATERIALS | COLOURS
blacks, which the company can provide from its plant in Brampton, Ontario.
Above: LyondellBasell says its Polybatch Effects Frost masterbatches are designed to mask the ‘dirty’ appearance of some rPET
While the SpectroMetric 6 is brand-new,
Ampacet’s existing commercial SpectroMetric system is already being used successfully with PCR compounders, using one colour masterbatch to colour-correct PCR.
NIR-sortable colours The ability for plastics to be sorted in material recycling facilities using NIR detection is an increasing focus. While carbon black cannot be detected via NIR spectroscopy, other pigment technologies do allow NIR-detectable dark and black colours. NIR-detectable blacks have been developed and are now available from pigment suppliers for use in black masterbatch. New from Cabot is PlasBlak PE8590NIR, an NIR-detectable black masterbatch for polyolefin packaging. The company says it is actively working to expand its portfolio of NIR-sortable black masterbatches for the consumer packaging industry, and that it continues to collaborate with NIR sorting machine manufacturers and customers in driving sustainable recycling innovations. ColorTech, which supplies colour and additive masterbatches into the US and Canada, offers three different solutions for NIR-sortable black colour masterbatches that are alternatives to carbon black. “Single-use applications that may use NIR-sortable blacks include microwaveable food packaging trays, blow-moulded containers, and utensils, for example,” said Jim Wright, Colour Technology Manager at ColorTech. “Choosing the optimal masterbatch involves a balance of application requirements and cost. Communication and collaboration throughout the supply chain, all the way to the brand owners, is crucial for creating a product that will meet everyone’s needs and expectations.” Wright said that Canada’s ban on carbon black in single-use plastic foodservice-ware is driving increased demand for NIR-sortable
18 PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | November/December 2024
Bio-based blacks A new black pigment from Bioregion Technology (BRT), located in Oregon in the US, is TruBlack TPA Infrared, a bio-based NIR-reflective black pigment created from lignocellulosic biomass from agricul- tural waste. BRT partnered with Nagase to sell and distribute the additive globally. BRT’s aim was to develop a cost-effective IR-reflective black master- batch that would colour similarly to carbon black and provide good dispersibility with no impact on final part functionality, said Brendon Bohnert, Senior Manager for Emerging Technologies at Nagase. He said the masterbatch is approximately 50% pigment loaded and will be used at 1.5 to 2 wt% for typical applications. “TruBlack also has advantages versus other NIR pigments as its colour is very close to what industry partners expect when using traditional carbon black,” said Bohnert. He said that the powder form of TruBlack is cleaner and easier to handle than carbon black. In addition, it has low to no magnetic properties. BRT has built a pilot plant that is capable of producing 1.2m lbs/year of bio-derived carbon, which will be available for both pigment and industrial uses. A new black in development for plastics is from
Colorado-based Living Ink Technologies, which is deriving black pigments using biomass inputs to its proprietary pyrolysis process. The company is currently using algae biomass that is waste from a nutritional supplement manufacturing process, and is investigating other bio-based waste streams, such as those from local beer fermentation pro- cesses. The pigments are being used commercially in inks and also in a paint application, said Devon Murrie, Director of Partnerships at Living Ink Technologies. At the lab-scale, the company has created a black masterbatch in pellet form that can be used in plastics. An application in development is solution-dyed, recycled PET yarn for clothing. Avient’s latest OnColor REC Polymer Colorants
are made from recycled content, including end-of- life tyres, and can be used as a lower carbon-foot- print alternative to traditional carbon black. The colorants are available in the US and Canada. LyondellBasell (LYB) launched NIR-detectable
Polybatch Effects Frost masterbatches that are designed for PET packaging. The additive can improve the appearance of recycled PET by masking the ‘dirty’ appearance of some rPET. It is FDA-compli- ant for food and cosmetic packaging and can be used with colours to add a frosted, matte effect.
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
IMAGE: LYB
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