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Sustainable compounds use natural fibres and fillers
Sabic Innovative Plastics is developing 'eco-progressive materials' to enable finite resources, such as petroleum, with more sustainable alternatives. In its latest move, the company is helping customers create new sustainable products by delivering what it claims is a first: two LNP Thermocomp specialty compounds that use curauá fibre and wood flour natural reinforcements. The new bio-based materials are being launched at NPE 2009 and underscore Sabic Innovative Plastics' commitment to a cleaner and healthier environment. Simultaneously the new materials are showcasing how the company is giving customers more options to create next-generation sustainable products to differentiate their products, grow current markets, expand into new sustainable market and application areas, and increase overall productivity and profitability.Robert McKay, program manager for sustainable products at Sabic Innovative Plastics, comments: "Our new LNP Thermocomp composites offer a combination of eco-progressiveness and outstanding high-performance properties. No company can afford to ignore the increasing call for sustainable products. On the other hand, creating sustainable products simply for the sake of creating sustainable products makes no business sense. Our new LNP Thermocomp composites address both issues. By drawing on our global application technology resources we are replacing traditional glass fibre and mineral fillers with natural reinforcing materials and, in the process, are giving customers advanced new solutions for exceptional performance in a broad array of important applications."
Compared to traditional reinforcements such as glass fibre, natural fibres offer several environmental benefits. They are renewable, biodegradable and require less energy to produce. Furthermore, they are lighter in weight than glass and other traditional fibres, thereby helping to reduce energy consumption in shipping.
One of Sabic Innovative Plastics' new materials is LNP Thermocomp PX07444 specialty compound, a polyamide (PA)-6 nylon that is reinforced with up to 20 per cent curauá fibre. The curauá plant is a member of the bromeliad family and is cultivated in South America, and it is characterised by leaves that contain high-strength fibres. This new LNP Thermocomp grade, while not identical in properties to glass-reinforced PA-6, can potentially be substituted for the glass-filled nylon in applications such as automotive interior components. It provides a strength-to-weight advantage with good surface aesthetics. Also, natural fibres such as curauá are not as abrasive as glass or mineral reinforcement, which reduces wear on moulding equipment.
Pematec, the largest Latin American manufacturer of sun visors, based in Brazil, is currently using LNP Thermocomp PX07444 specialty compound to mould the frame and bracket for a new automotive sun visor application. The new Sabic Innovative Plastics compound provides excellent surface aesthetics and mechanical properties. With the increasing use of plastics in the automotive industry, sustainable options are clearly becoming more important.
Another new grade, LNP Thermocomp MX07442 specialty compound, is polypropylene (PP) based and reinforced with 30 per cent wood flour. It is aimed at replacing natural wood because, in addition to having a similar appearance, it is more resistant to fungi and has better dimensional stability than natural wood. Compared to unfilled PP or 30 per cent mineral-reinforced PP, this compound has lower specific gravity and higher flexural strength with retained impact strength, thereby offering a strength-to-weight advantage. It can be extruded and injection moulded, and provides a colourable surface with the natural grain of wood.
Bio-based plastics have become an attractive choice for manufacturers that wish to appeal to eco-conscious consumers. By creating packaging using sustainable plastics, companies can enhance the environmental value of their products. For example, the containers for a perfume are moulded from LNP Thermocomp MX07442 specialty compound by the Brazilian branch of Rexam Beauty Packaging. The new LNP specialty compound meets the customer's goal of incorporating natural components into the packaging as a complement to the all-natural ingredients in its products.
McKay concludes: "There can be no doubt that sustainability is a top global priority now and for the future. This is especially the case at Sabic Innovative Plastics. As we have done with our iQ resin platform, Flexible Noryl resin, paint-free automotive solutions, energy-saving Lexan sheet products, and now these new LNP Thermocomp composites, we will continue to raise the bar in the development of sustainable solutions for our customers worldwide."
For more information, visit www.sabic-ip.com