ODOUR REDUCTION | INNOVATION


Getting rid of strong smells


There are many ways that additives and machinery can help reduce malodours in recycled plastics.Peter Mapleston finds out what suppliers have to offer


Considerable progress is being made among suppliers of additives and recycling equipment to reduce levels of VOCs and odours in post-consum- er recycled plastics. These materials often exhibit a strong smell due to the presence of contaminants or residual contents – food, detergent, inks, adhesives and others – which degrade during the recycling process. Undesirable smells can limit the amount of recycled plastic that can be used in new products, as they may affect consumer perceptions of product and brand quality. Evonik Interface & Performance Business Line


offers additives for post-consumer and post-indus- trial plastics waste to improve malodour or to improve mechanical properties while compatibilis- ing polymers. It has developed masterbatches of its malodour absorber technology to use directly on a recycler’s line or at a converter manufacturing location.


www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com According to Kathrin Lehmann, Technical


Director Polymer Specialities - Interface & Perfor- mance, the Evonik additives Tegomer PY 50 PE and Tegomer PY 50 PP can be easily incorporated at levels of 3-5% into recycled PE or PP without over lubrication, whereas the 100% active material Tego Sorb PY 88 can only be used in a compounding operation with a double screw. “The masterbatches can be the used directly in a film line, and malodour generated from fertilisers or urea, if the source has been agricultural films, can be realised,” she says. Proof that absorber technology reduces the


level of malodour significantly can be detected with a trained panel group, Lehmann notes, but for automotive applications, VDA testing can also be carried out to support customers in quickly finding the right addition level. It is important to consider that the polymer


degradation during recycling is only one reason for October 2022 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 15


Main image: Kreyenborg has further developed its infrared technology with the introduction of the IR-Fresh for odour reduction


IMAGE: KREYENBORG


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  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70