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Modern recycling: Valuable opportunities for the plastics industry

The plastics industry faces the crucial challenge of efficiently recycling materials after their use and industrial utilisation. Increasing pressure from legislation and consumers requires a continuous increase in recycling rates. Often, heterogeneous plastic waste and separated mono-fractions are not suitable for most applications. This is due to the splitting and cross-linking of the polymer chains as well as the incompatibility of the different plastics, which leads to sub-optimal mechanical properties.

Adding a small amount of compatibilisers/modifiers based on ethylene butyl acrylates and corresponding maleic anhydride-grafted products effectively counteracts this problem. The result: a drastic improvement in mechanical properties that turns plastic waste into valuable raw material for various extrusion and moulding applications. This opens up immense economic opportunities for plastics processors and at the same time contributes to increasing the recycling rate in the industry.

Towards a sustainable future for multi-layer structures

Multilayer structures, based on polyolefins such as LDPE, PP, HDPE and engineering plastics such as EVOH and PA, play a crucial role in flexible, semi-rigid and rigid plastic constructions. Whether in the food packaging industry, agriculture or automotive production – they are indispensable components for ensuring protection, durability and functionality. Despite their broad applicability and advantages, multilayer structures face a challenge: the incompatibility of the polymers used leads to suboptimal mechanical properties, which makes efficient separation into monofractions difficult and thus impairs recyclability.

Until now, materials based on these multilayer structures have often been landfilled, incinerated or shipped to low-cost countries. However, with increasingly stringent environmental regulations and the ban on landfill, the need for a well-organised recycling process is becoming ever more urgent. This is where Lucofin® 1494H and Lucofin® 1400HN come in. These compatibilisers based on maleic anhydride-grafted ethylene butyl acrylate (EBA) significantly improve the mechanical properties. By adding just a few percent to a polyolefin/engineering plastic blend, the structural integrity is strengthened and the material becomes optimal for a wide range of extrusion and moulding applications. Lucofin® 1494H and Lucofin® 1400HN not only open up new ways of recycling multilayer structures, but also contribute to creating a more sustainable future in the plastics industry.

Versatile applications of Lucofin® compatibilisers

Lucofin® opens up new possibilities for the use of multilayer structures in a wide range of industries and applications.

  • Flexible food packaging
  • Agricultural films
  • Automotive industry: tanks and components
  • Industrial packaging
  • Building industry: Insulation materials
  • Electronics: housings and components
  • Medical technology: housings and instruments
  • Toy manufacturing
  • Household appliances: housings and controls
  • Sports and leisure equipment

Maximum performance for multilayer structures

  • Improved mechanical properties: Lucofin® compatibilisers significantly increase the structural integrity of multilayer structures.
  • Efficient recycling: The addition of Lucofin® significantly improves the recyclability of multilayer structures, leading to more sustainable practices in the plastics industry.
  • Increased material utilisation: The use of Lucofin® enables a more efficient use of materials as it reduces the incompatibility of polymers, making mono fractions more economically separable.
  • Versatile applicability: Lucofin® compatibilisers can be used in a wide range of industries, from food packaging to the automotive industry.
  • Increased product quality: Optimising the mechanical properties significantly improves the quality of the end products.
  • Innovative solutions: Lucofin® offers advanced ways to use multilayer structures in various extrusion and moulding applications.
  • Environmentally conscious choice: The use of Lucofin® contributes to the reduction of environmental impact through improved recycling.
  • Sustainable future: Lucofin® compatibilisers play a crucial role in creating a more sustainable future in the plastics industry.

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