RAW MATERIALS: Innovation index
Invigorating the world of plastics With a rapidly booming plastics industry in India, the additives and masterbatches sector carries a veritable influence on the scope of indigenous innovations. Considering their significance in driving growth of specialty and engineering polymers, Lionel Alva assesses some of the changing dynamics of the additives & masterbatches industry.
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dditives and masterbatches constitute a highly successful and an essential segment of the global plastics industry. Global industry analysts predict that the world masterbatch additive market will reach $ 8.25 billion by 2017. The last 15 years have witnessed a constantly increasing impact of additive and masterbatches in applications such as antistatics, foaming agents and flame retardancy. Technology developments that help impart desired colour and property to the polymer and simultaneously reduce its cost will aid in turbo charging the market’s growth in medium to long term, especially given the evolving demand among end-user industries for highperformance and functional products.
Understanding the industry The use of concentrated additive masterbatches and sophisticated material delivery systems gives high confidence in polymer compounding. Other 76
important reasons for choosing additive masterbatches instead of pure additives are the physical form, dosability, ease of handling, homogeneous mixing, safety, additive protection and improvement of performance, influence of carrier system, supplier experience and cost. Porous polyolefin carriers offer masterbatch suppliers an inexpensive and simple way of producing high concentrates without having to use an extruder. Pure additives usually require specific handling. Some additives have to be dispersed like pigments to avoid agglomeration, while some others need to be intensively kneaded. It is difficult to select processing conditions that offer simultaneously an optimum on mixing/dispersing/kneading/ dissolving efficiency as required for processing of additives with different properties. Masterbatches go to some extent to overcome these problems. Nikhil Tibrewala, Director, Avi Additives Pvt Ltd, observes, “The Indian polymers industry is growing year-on-
Modern Plastics & Polymers | January 2012
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year at twice the rate of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Since the growth in additives and masterbatches industry is directly proportional to that of the polymers sector, the prospects for additives segment in India appear bright. As competition among plastics processors is intensifying, and each one is looking for differentiation, they have to fall back on additives to provide the niche they seek.”
R&D drives industrial growth Some materials that have been sold for over 20 years are regarded today as commodity chemicals, particularly when patents covering their use have expired.