ENHANCING THE PROPERTIES OF POLYMERS
As we settle into 2021, we take a glance at how some of the leading players in materials science are continuing to address the need to improve the recyclability and functionality of packaging polymers. Victoria Hattersley spoke with representatives from Covestro, Dow and Imerys.
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he wide variety of polymers on the market today go a long way to meeting our many and varied packaging needs. However, as we know not all of them are as recyclable, or recycled, as others – whether because of their inherent properties, the infrastructure isn’t there, or because they consist of multiple layers that can’t be separated in existing recycling streams. At Packaging Europe we always try to keep on the pulse of ongoing developments in polymer research and innovation. In recent years, we have seen clear recurring themes such as monomaterials, biobased plastics and chemical recycling. Our industry experts today are all from companies involved in the packaging chain at the materials science level rather than packaging production itself. Here the focus is on enhancing polymer properties to improve recyclability, improve barrier properties, reduce material volume, improve impact resistance and so on.
Maintaining mechanical properties One way to enhance properties is through including additives to polymers at the start of the manufacturing process – an area where Imerys, which provides a wide variety of mineral solutions to enhance the properties of finished products and address sustainability requirements, is heavily involved. “The current challenge is to ensure that mechanical properties, which tend to deteriorate during recycling processes, are maintained or even enhanced to enable them to meet ever more stringent specifications and remain cost-effective,” says Kelvin Thomas, Polymers Development Manager at the company. “Talc can be added to recycled plastic compounds to restore mechanical performance – for example, a recycled PP compound containing a 20% loading of Steagreen® talc can match the performance of a non-recycled, talc-filled PP compound and can therefore be used for high performance applications.” Packaging Europe | 17 |
