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As a global leader in materials design solutions, Techmer PM has access behind the scenes in the manufacturing industry and understands their recyclability challenges. This also puts us in a position to make changes and drive the importance of recycling and sustainability.
Some of the main issues we are tackling with our customers and partners include aesthetics, mechanical properties, regulatory needs, costs, and in many cases, a little of everything. This has resulted in many brands and technology Techmer PM has released throughout the years.
Keeping Black Plastic Out of Landfills
Carbon black is one of the most widely used pigments in plastics due to its cost, color strength, and added UV protection.
One major drawback of using Carbon Black is its tendency to absorb NIR wavelengths, making parts colored with carbon black difficult or even impossible to sort at a material reclaiming facility (MRF) optically.
And we know what happens when an item isn’t sortable – it ends up in the landfill.
I mentioned that Carbon Black is one of the most popular colors for plastics. So, although manufacturers can move to a different color, this may not be in their best interest for product aesthetics, especially if their brand is known for its rich, deep black color.
This is why we’ve introduced NIR black colorants, primarily for polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) rigid packaging applications. The outcome is the retention of brand identity while bringing a truly sortable package to market.
The Challenge of Colored PCR/PIR
Colored post-consumer recycling (PCR) or post-industrial recycling (PIR) is one supply stream that faces unique challenges. The grades may be one uniform color, such as colored with carbon black, or a mixture of various colors based on the incoming stream, whether municipal or ocean plastic. There are drawbacks to both PCR and PIR in terms of shelf appeal with various colors and, in the case of black colors, having the same issues as what I’ve described with sortability.
“Some of the main issues we are tackling with our customers and partners include aesthetics, mechanical properties, regulatory needs, costs, and in many cases, a little of everything. This has resulted in many brands and technology Techmer PM has released throughout the years.”
Fortunately, there are ways to hide PCR/PIR colors. With mixed color recycling, each lot of material can be color matched to a uniform color or hidden in the final product with our solution, Techsperse.
Techsperse is Techmer PM’s proprietary dispersion technology. It’s ideal for covering mixed-color (grey) PCR as it maximizes the value of pigments through stronger color dispersion, requiring less colorant to deliver a higher value to thin-section applications.
We’ve also done extensive work with our 3-layer blow molding line to get the middle layers up to 100% PCR and add colors in the outer layers to hide this. We’ve done this for a variety of colors, even lighter ones.
These technologies we’ve developed will help brands maintain product aesthetics and quality and ensure it does not end up in a landfill.
It’s More Than Just Colors
Loss in mechanical properties is also a key issue with added recycling. This can happen with either mixed stream recycling or with the same resin system but degraded recycling caused by multiple heat histories.
With mixed stream recycling, the trick is to get multiple resins that do not usually mix well, such as PE and polypropylene (PP), to form a more homogenous mixture with stabilized viscosity.
Thermal stabilization is a common strategy used in mixed-stream recycling. However, carefully selected compatibilization technologies are often more effective. An example of a need is in bi-co fiber, where PE and PP will be present. By both thermally stabilizing and ensuring compatibility in the mixed streams, recycling this is now an option.
On the other side, for purely polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), recycling PET (rPETG), and PET streams, Techmer PM’s HiTerra rPET Revive has had proven success in the market, allowing for higher levels of recycling in the polyester resin family. Success in this resin family for recycling generally centers around preventing a yellow color and steady-state viscosity, which this technology uniquely offers in rigid packaging, 3D printing, sheet, and fiber applications.
Another technology platform is using bio-based resins, which can be recycled. Standard compostable and/or biodegradable resins can contaminate the recycling stream. These resin types are not designed for recycling but to be composted either at home or at an industrial level.
We have partnered with resin manufacturers to bring their bio-based versions of traditionally fossil-fuel-based resins to new markets, such as bio-based PA6 and PA11 in fiber markets.
Long and Steady Road Ahead
Sustainability and recycling have, over the years, become key focal points in the industry and regulatory circles. The key is to do our parts. We’re here to help producers meet their sustainability goals, hoping that their end products will be recyclable and long-lasting. It’s been a journey, but we’re glad to be on it.
One major drawback of using Carbon Black is its tendency to absorb NIR wavelengths, making parts colored with carbon black difficult or even impossible to sort at a material reclaiming facility (MRF) optically.
And we know what happens when an item isn’t sortable – it ends up in the landfill.
I mentioned that Carbon Black is one of the most popular colors for plastics. So, although manufacturers can move to a different color, this may not be in their best interest for product aesthetics, especially if their brand is known for its rich, deep black color.
This is why we’ve introduced NIR black colorants, primarily for polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) rigid packaging applications. The outcome is the retention of brand identity while bringing a truly sortable package to market.
The Challenge of Colored PCR/PIR
Colored post-consumer recycling (PCR) or post-industrial recycling (PIR) is one supply stream that faces unique challenges. The grades may be one uniform color, such as colored with carbon black, or a mixture of various colors based on the incoming stream, whether municipal or ocean plastic. There are drawbacks to both PCR and PIR in terms of shelf appeal with various colors and, in the case of black colors, having the same issues as what I’ve described with sortability.
“Some of the main issues we are tackling with our customers and partners include aesthetics, mechanical properties, regulatory needs, costs, and in many cases, a little of everything. This has resulted in many brands and technology Techmer PM has released throughout the years.”
Fortunately, there are ways to hide PCR/PIR colors. With mixed color recycling, each lot of material can be color matched to a uniform color or hidden in the final product with our solution, Techsperse.
Techsperse is Techmer PM’s proprietary dispersion technology. It’s ideal for covering mixed-color (grey) PCR as it maximizes the value of pigments through stronger color dispersion, requiring less colorant to deliver a higher value to thin-section applications.
We’ve also done extensive work with our 3-layer blow molding line to get the middle layers up to 100% PCR and add colors in the outer layers to hide this. We’ve done this for a variety of colors, even lighter ones.
These technologies we’ve developed will help brands maintain product aesthetics and quality and ensure it does not end up in a landfill.
It’s More Than Just Colors
Loss in mechanical properties is also a key issue with added recycling. This can happen with either mixed stream recycling or with the same resin system but degraded recycling caused by multiple heat histories.
With mixed stream recycling, the trick is to get multiple resins that do not usually mix well, such as PE and polypropylene (PP), to form a more homogenous mixture with stabilized viscosity.
Thermal stabilization is a common strategy used in mixed-stream recycling. However, carefully selected compatibilization technologies are often more effective. An example of a need is in bi-co fiber, where PE and PP will be present. By both thermally stabilizing and ensuring compatibility in the mixed streams, recycling this is now an option.
On the other side, for purely polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), recycling PET (rPETG), and PET streams, Techmer PM’s HiTerra rPET Revive has had proven success in the market, allowing for higher levels of recycling in the polyester resin family. Success in this resin family for recycling generally centers around preventing a yellow color and steady-state viscosity, which this technology uniquely offers in rigid packaging, 3D printing, sheet, and fiber applications.
Another technology platform is using bio-based resins, which can be recycled. Standard compostable and/or biodegradable resins can contaminate the recycling stream. These resin types are not designed for recycling but to be composted either at home or at an industrial level.
We have partnered with resin manufacturers to bring their bio-based versions of traditionally fossil-fuel-based resins to new markets, such as bio-based PA6 and PA11 in fiber markets.
Long and Steady Road Ahead
Sustainability and recycling have, over the years, become key focal points in the industry and regulatory circles. The key is to do our parts. We’re here to help producers meet their sustainability goals, hoping that their end products will be recyclable and long-lasting. It’s been a journey, but we’re glad to be on it. 