NEW VIBATAN® PLA BLACK N0381

The extensive use of petroleum-derived polymers is responsible for the increasing concern about the environmental impact of plastics, since most of them are not biodegradable.

Worldwide polymer production is estimated to increase: it is considered that in 2023 each person will consume around 40 kg of plastic annually.

In this scenario, bioplastics emerge as an alternative to conventional plastics and among biopolymers polylactide (PLA) is currently considered one of the most promising biopolyester at industrial scale, due to its good balance between physicochemical properties and sustainability.

PLA is obtained from lactide derived from starch fermentation and it is biodegradable.

The main uses of PLA cover a wide variety of industrial sectors such as automotive, biomedical, packaging and also the growing industry of 3D printing.

Despite this, PLA presents several intrinsic restrictions that are mainly related to its relatively high price, low heat resistance and high fragility.

To overcome, or at least, minimize the low ductility and toughness of PLA, several approaches have been considered with excellent results.

A possible solution to such problems is the addition of plasticizers which can modify the mechanical properties. They are masterbatches available in additive or color version, which can improve the performance of biopolymers in terms of impact resistance, release from the mold, antistatic properties, anti-blocking and color addition.

VIBA can offer a selection of products with the above mentioned features, among which its

 

VIBATAN®

PLA BLACK N0381

 

a preparation of Carbon Black in a Polylactic Acid carrier, expressly developed for the colouring of Polylactic Acid products manufactured by injection moulding.

The selected pigments and the special carrier make VIBATAN PLA BLACK N0381 suitable for the production of end products which have to satisfy the parameters imposed by the Norm UNI EN 13432 “Packaging – Requirements for packaging, recoverable through composting and biodegradation” if used at a maximum dosage of 50,0%; this limit has been set on masterbatch composition related to the contained not biodegradable components.

Further detailed information can be obtained from our Technical Department.