LANXESSON HELPS PLASTICS MANUFACTURING'S CIRCULAR ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION NEW DURETHAN ECO-FRIENDLY NYLON PRODUCTS ARE MADE OF WASTE GLASS FIBER

specialty chemicals company LANXEsn is increasingly using recycled raw materials in the production of thermoplastic compounds and composites"We want to drive a transition from an abandoned to a circular society," explains DrGuenter Margraf, Global Product Manager, High Performance MaterialsOur goal is to improve the sustainability of plastic products, thereby reducing the reliance on limited resource consumption, improving the carbon footprint and protecting the environment"
, in line with this strategy, has recently introduced three nylon 6 composite materials: Durethan ECOBKV30H2.0, ECOBKV35H2.0 and ECOBKV60XF, which account for 30%, 35% and 60% of recycled fibers made from waste glass, respectivelyEcocycle, an independent inspection company, used the quality balance method to detect the content of recycled materials and the long-term use of waste glass in the above three materials and awarded the LANXESS ecoloop certificate in accordance with ISO 14021:2016The glass used in the three materials comes from the production of waste in glass fibers (industrial recycling)quality balance method brings many benefits to manufacturers
the quality balance method stems from an initiative launched by the non-profit Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which is widely used by companies around the world, including some plastic manufacturers, for chemical recycling of post-industrial and post-consumer wasteThrough this process, recyclable raw materials are produced together with widely used petrochemical or mineral raw materials and then distributed proportionally to the final productThe basic principles are similar to the way environmentally friendly electricity or natural gas is incorporated into the grid or natural gas networkAlthough the average household user cannot distinguish between energy sources, the proportion of sustainable electricity in the grid is steadily increasing as demand increasesOne advantage of the quality balance method is that the finished product produced using this process has the same performance as the product produced using ordinary raw materials (e.grecyclable waste fiberglass reinforced nylon composites)In other words, using this process does not mean sacrificing any product performance"Injection molding manufacturers using quality balance can produce compositematerials using existing facilities just like traditional products, while certifiing products to be sustainable," says Margraf "
Focused Automotive Applications
LANXESS High Performance Materials division considers the automotive industry as the main application area for three new composites Margraf explains: "In the case of durethan ECOBKV60XF, the material has excellent strength and stiffness and is suitable for the manufacture of automotive front ends, pedal bearing brackets and structural components such as A-pillars, B-pillars, C-pillars, and lightweight battery trays for electric vehicles "Nylon 6, which has a lower carbon footprint , is under development
LANSA's High Performance Materials business unit will introduce more environmentally friendly products certified under the Quality Balance Method For example, the department is planning to launch a new nylon 6 with a glass fiber content of 30% and a further reduction in its carbon footprint Environmental considerations have been taken into account in the selection of petrochemical raw materials for the production of hexylamide waste glass fiber, a valuable raw material
loncares' high-performance materials division does not currently use waste fiberglass from end-of-life components (recycled after consumption), but sees it as a very sustainable raw material for the manufacture of new fiberglass Collecting end-of-life glass components has similar advantages over the widely used collection and recycling of glass containers Compared to the raw materials used in the manufacture of glass fibers, the melting point of glass waste is lower, which helps to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions "The use of glass waste can save glass raw materials, reduce resource consumption, and solve the problem of glass waste disposal," says Margraf "