Together with Eckart, Lifocolor has developed a new series of silver masterbatches which, despite their metallic effects, can be recognised by near-infrared (NIR) technology in recycling plants. This innovation combines aesthetic design with increased recyclability.
The importance of sustainability in product design is constantly increasing, and the challenge of designing recyclable materials in an aesthetically pleasing way remains. In particular Metal effect pigments, which are known for their attractive design, often cause Problems in recycling plants. These pigments can make it difficult to recognise plastics using NIR, as they absorb the wavelengths in a similar way to black plastics and packaging and hinder sorting.
Lifocolour, a leading supplier of masterbatch solutions, has developed a new masterbatch solution in collaboration with the pigment manufacturer Eckart has developed an innovative solution that addresses this problem. The new product range from NIR-detectable silver masterbatches is designed to ensure that plastics can be reliably recognised and sorted despite the metal effects they contain.
Nowadays, plastics are mainly sorted in recycling plants using NIR technology, which makes this possible, Separate plastic fractions precisely and in the shortest possible time according to colour and polymer type. Conventional metal pigments, however, act as microscopic mirrors and scattering centres in this process, which weakens the reflected NIR signal and makes it difficult or even impossible to detect the plastics.
Through a targeted selection and combination of effect pigments, Eckart has succeeded in developing a series of silver pigments that are both Visually appealing and highly NIR-detectable are. These pigments have been specially designed to meet the requirements of modern recycling plants and the automatic sorting of plastics.
Lifocolor is now using these new pigments for its masterbatch products and emphasises that the NIR-detectable silver masterbatches have not only been developed for all common polymers and processing methods, but also for the Contact with food are authorised in accordance with EU Directive 10/2011 and FDA. In cooperation with a leading recycling company, four different formulations for HDPE (high-density polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene) were successfully tested for their sortability.
According to Lifocolor, this development makes it possible to Requirements for sustainable product design and effective recycling to be better combined. The use of these special silver masterbatches could significantly improve the recyclability of products containing plastic without having to sacrifice the desired aesthetics.
Source: Lifocolour
