MASTERBATCH AND ADDITIVES HOLLAND COLOURS IS HELPING TO CLEAN THE PLANET AND IMPROVE QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY IN RECYCLED PLASTIC THROUGH ITS KNOWLEDGE OF MASTERBATCHES.
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ne of the biggest challenges facing plastics recyclers is how to turn used plastic, which comes in a rainbow of colors and polymers, into a new product with a consistent colour from one production run to the next. Colour gives the recycled plastic the look and feel manufacturers require, and can also be used to remove the yellowish haze or mask the creamy tint that is a typical characteristic of recycled plastic chips, while adding pigments creates beautiful, solid-colour finishes in the desired shade you want. But what is the best way is to incorporate these additives and pigments into recycled plastic? One way is to use powders. However, these are messy and hard to dose accurately. A better, safer and cleaner way is to disperse the pigments into so-called ‘carrier’ materials. This results in colour concentrates, often referred to as masterbatches.
Masterbatches have either a petroleum base or are bio-based (including natural carriers). Powdered pigments are added to this base to create the masterbatch, which is then added to the plastic being recycled. A bio-based carrier has environmental benefits. The other option is to use masterbatches based on recycled carriers. Whether wax- or petroleum-based, a masterbatch typically requires a low concentration to get an optimal result because the pigments are pre-dispersed into the carrier material (for colouring). BIOBASED MASTERBATCHES HELP IMPROVE SUSTAINABILITY In general, masterbatches in a bio-based carrier and those based on recycled carriers are your best options. These two choices enable you to keep your recycled material content as ‘high’ as possible, in comparison to petroleum-based masterbatches. Given the trend in the plastics industry towards lighter weight materials and higher recycled content, masterbatch technology is set to play an increasing role in the industry’s drive for improved sustainability – even more so for masterbatches based on a natural carrier or recycled content. The Netherlands is one of the most ambitious countries in the global circular movement. Having developed many technologically innovative solutions, the people, businesses, and industries there have also come to realise that creating socially and environmentally responsible
attitudes together with institutional flexibility is equally important. By inspiring people and institutions to rethink, redesign and pursue a positive future, the Dutch are confident that circular advancements can actually be adopted by both public and private organisations, institutions and society as a whole. CIRCULAR SUNGLASSES The Netherlands maintains the ambition to become a fully functioning circular economy by 2050. To do this, the government is taking various measures to encourage a social climate that’s open for behavioural change, and creating an ecosystem in which all the necessary social and institutional changes are embraced. But to create an economy that is truly circular, there is a need to go beyond national borders, through working alongside fellow pioneering partners on a shared mission. Circularity is a broad topic, and plastic recycling is only one part of it. Dutch recycling companies are striving to become front runners in this field. As recently as October, Holland Colours provided the colour concentrates in the first product made using plastics recovered from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by Dutch entrepreneur Boyan Slat and The Ocean Cleanup – a line of sunglasses. Holland Colours delivered a bio-based colour concentrate to colour the shades. Specifically, The Ocean Cleanup was looking for two different shades of blue that could be dosed simultaneously to create a swirl pattern that mimics the movement of the ocean.
Dutch recycling companies are striving to become front runners in this field WWW.EPPM.COM 019