UPcycling of Polypropylene

We are unique at being the only producer of a full product portfolio for recyclers that allows tuning of the MFI of polypropylene in both directions: UP and DOWN.

Our organic peroxides are the solution to key problems in mechanical recycling of Polypropylene: they upgrade the properties of recycled polyolefins and support the industry in closing the GAP between PCR and virgin polypropylene.

Polypropylene (PP) is the second most used plastic globally, after Polyethylene. Each of us encounter polypropylene based products in our daily life ranging from food packaging, household appliances, hygiene products, car interiors, etc. Many of these products end up as Post Consumer Recyclate PP (PCR-PP), a mixed stream of recycled polypropylene with the following issues:

• PCR-PP is only available in a restricted MFI range, usually 10-30. Streams with low MFI are rare and expensive
• Properties of PCR-PP are inferior to virgin plastics, due to degradation by exposure to UV/sunlight, reprocessing, etc. This affects the mechanical properties (i.e., impact strength) of the new product containing recycled PP
• PCR-PP is an inconsistent mixture with wide Molecular Weight distribution (MWd). Broad MWd can cause instability during further processing that require narrow specifications

Perkadox^® PM-60ST-GR is our newest innovation to decrease the MFI or recycled polypropylene. This product can repair degraded polypropylene chains and rebuild its Molecular Weight by adding long chain branches. With the use of Perkadox^® PM-60ST-GR the MFI of recycled PP decreases. At the same time, the melt strength and melt elasticity of the modified recycled PP increases strongly, enabling new processing opportunities and applications like foaming, blow molding and even thermoforming. Perkadox^® PM-60ST-GR boosts the mechanical properties of recycled polypropylene such as impact strength as well as flexural and tensile strength. Recycled polypropylene modified with Perkadox^® PM-60ST-GR has increased stiffness and is less brittle.

We offer a wide choice of peroxides to increase the MFI of recycled PP. Perkadox^® 14, Trigonox^® 101, Trigonox^® 301 and Trigonox^® 501-CS40 are already used in the mechanical recycling of polypropylene to achieve a higher MFI, enabling the use of recycled content in applications requiring different properties than the available feedstocks. Our last generation peroxides for controlled-rheology, Trigonox^® 301 and Trigonox^® 501-CS40, are a low odor solution that has been widely adapted in the virgin PP industry, making them the preferred choice in high-end applications.