Diverse Additives Portfolio for Mechanical Recycling of Plastics

A diverse family of additives said to improve efficiency and increase quality of recycled polymers and final plastics recycling plastics has been introduced by Evonik. The new Tego Cycle additives portfolio were developed to help at each stage of the entire mechanical recycling value chain to convert plastic waste into reusable plastic goods.  

During the wet stage, Evonik’s antifoams & wetting agents can be used to make washing, separation, deinking & drying processes more efficient and help to significantly reduce energy. Additionally, during compounding (dry stage), Evonik’s odor absorbers, compatibilizers, dispersants & processing aids help to improve processing and enhance polymer properties, which reportedly leads to more competitive costs and a much higher quality of recycled plastic content.

Said Alper Aksit, Evonik’s EMEA region marketing manager for compounds and circular plastics, “Despite recent improvements in plastic waste streams and better recycling infrastructure across the globe, the high costs and technical challenge of yielding polymers of high enough quality, have meant only around 100 million tons of plastic has been recycled so far (noting that about 400 million tons/yr of new plastics are added to the market, of which 40% if for plastics packaging). Transforming plastic waste into valuable reusable plastic requires collaboration across the entire plastics value chain. Working closely with our partners and listening to our customers’ needs we have created initiatives like Evonik’s Circular Plastics Program, which combined with our Tego Cycle additives help speed up the plastic industry's transformation into a fully circular economy.”