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Recycling on the Rise
The world of plastics recycling is fast-evolving as we rapidly shift towards a more closed loop plastics economy. As a sustainability leader, Milliken recently conducted an industry-wide survey of attendees at the 2022 Plastics Recycling Conference in Washington D.C. to gauge this landscape and its continuing evolution. Most of the respondents were directly engaged in plastics recycling, with just over 20% being converters of recycled plastics.
The survey found that although most organizations worked with a variety of plastics, including PET, HDPE, LDPE and polystyrene, the material utilized most, by a large margin, was polypropylene or PP, with 85% of respondents answering positively. PP has become a frontrunner in the packaging sustainability stakes with a low carbon footprint, lightweight and recyclability. Recycling of PP is further enhanced by additives such as Milliken’s DeltaMax®, that provides converters with significant improvements in their products and processes, and DeltaFlowTM, viscosity modifiers that specifically help polypropylene recyclers.
The survey found that although most organizations worked with a variety of plastics, including PET, HDPE, LDPE and polystyrene, the material utilized most, by a large margin, was polypropylene or PP, with 85% of respondents answering positively. PP has become a frontrunner in the packaging sustainability stakes with a low carbon footprint, lightweight and recyclability. Recycling of PP is further enhanced by additives such as Milliken’s DeltaMax®, that provides converters with significant improvements in their products and processes, and DeltaFlowTM, viscosity modifiers that specifically help polypropylene recyclers.
Almost all respondents used post-consumer plastic (96%), and all experienced some challenges associated with these materials. 56% of those surveyed said contamination and cost were the largest challenges followed by processability (36%), appearance (32%), color (28%), mechanical properties (20%), dirt (16) and odor (12%).
Through its partnerships, such as with PureCycle Technologies, Milliken is helping advance the closed-loop recycling of PP resin by overcoming some of these challenges. PureCycle’s patented recycling process separates color and other impurities from plastic waste feedstock to transform it into as-new-quality resin. Any off odor is removed with the impurity. PureCycle’s first commercial facility, being built in the United States, is expected to recycle 120-million pounds (54-million kilograms) of polypropylene starting in 2022. Looking beyond, PureCycle is projecting a global footprint for 1-billion pounds of production annually by 2025.
Milliken’s additives, such as Hyperform® HPN® and Millad® NX® 8000 ECO, will play a critical role in the PureCycle process by restoring the key aesthetic and performance properties to the PP, making clarified recycled polypropylene possible for a wide variety of applications. Millad NX 8000 technology has been approved jointly by the Association of Plastics Recyclers Critical Guidance Protocol and Plastic Recyclers Europe RecyClass as fully compatible with the PP recycling processes, posing no recyclability concerns.
Interestingly, 43% of respondents had tried using compatibilizers for contamination mitigation, and they shared their opinions on their effectiveness for recycling plastic materials. 72% of those who had used these additives indicated an improvement in processability with mechanical (27%) and visual (18%) outcomes also improving. However, 28% of those who had used compatibilizers responded that they didn’t offer enough improvements.
Fortunately, there is a product that addresses this challenge. Described as a novel reactive extrusion modifier, Milliken’s DeltaMax® family of masterbatch performance modifiers is a radical advancement in additive technology for PP impact copolymers (ICPs) as well as recycled PP. DeltaMax improves both the physical properties and the processability of copolymer polypropylene to serve more demanding applications whilst still reducing processing costs. With DeltaMax, injection molders can enhance the impact and melt flow of their ICP or rPP resins by adding the masterbatch at machine-side. The net effect is the ability to produce parts with higher impact resistance and thinner profiles resulting in faster cycle times at lower temperatures while reducing the use of costly impact modifiers in rPP resins.
Milliken’s additives, such as Hyperform® HPN® and Millad® NX® 8000 ECO, will play a critical role in the PureCycle process by restoring the key aesthetic and performance properties to the PP, making clarified recycled polypropylene possible for a wide variety of applications. Millad NX 8000 technology has been approved jointly by the Association of Plastics Recyclers Critical Guidance Protocol and Plastic Recyclers Europe RecyClass as fully compatible with the PP recycling processes, posing no recyclability concerns.
Interestingly, 43% of respondents had tried using compatibilizers for contamination mitigation, and they shared their opinions on their effectiveness for recycling plastic materials. 72% of those who had used these additives indicated an improvement in processability with mechanical (27%) and visual (18%) outcomes also improving. However, 28% of those who had used compatibilizers responded that they didn’t offer enough improvements.
Fortunately, there is a product that addresses this challenge. Described as a novel reactive extrusion modifier, Milliken’s DeltaMax® family of masterbatch performance modifiers is a radical advancement in additive technology for PP impact copolymers (ICPs) as well as recycled PP. DeltaMax improves both the physical properties and the processability of copolymer polypropylene to serve more demanding applications whilst still reducing processing costs. With DeltaMax, injection molders can enhance the impact and melt flow of their ICP or rPP resins by adding the masterbatch at machine-side. The net effect is the ability to produce parts with higher impact resistance and thinner profiles resulting in faster cycle times at lower temperatures while reducing the use of costly impact modifiers in rPP resins.
Survey participants were also asked when they expect to be using more post-consumer recycled materials and the response was overwhelming. 65% expected an increase within a year, with another 20% forecasting a rise in the use of PCR within five years. Less than 5% of respondents believed they would never use more post-consumer recycled materials. Interestingly, recyclers see this trend coming faster than packaging converters.
Sustainability is a major concern for everyone in the plastics packaging value chain, and society more broadly. What’s clear is that an increase in recycling will play a major role as the industry transitions to a circular economy. Milliken’s technical innovations that enhance recycling, reduce overall waste, and lower greenhouse gas emissions are supporting this transition and helping the industry to go green.