New DuPont™ Entira™ EP Technology

New DuPont™ Entira™ EP Technology

Until now, recycling of mixed plastic-based waste streams has largely proven uneconomical in terms of performance and overall cost-benefit. However, DuPont is introducing a new solution to this critical challenge with its Entira™ EP copolymer series. These high-performance compatibilizers based on ethylene copolymers can bring the performance of recycled polyolefins to the same level as virgin resins. Mixed streams containing polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) are typically difficult to separate because they are similar in density. When a waste stream of one of these two polymers becomes contaminated by the other, the resulting mechanical properties are usually very poor. This can make processing this raw material using standard polymer extrusion or injection technologies difficult or impossible. Adding Entira™ EP compatibilizer (typically 3-7% by weight) creates a bridge between the PP matrix and PE contaminant (or vice versa) and produces a homogeneous recycled resin. This leads to improved performance and surface properties in products made with this 'upgraded' recycled resin. In addition to use in the production of bulk products (flower pots, outdoor furniture), such recycled resins are also suitable for higher-value applications such as thin films and membranes for the construction industry. Entira™ EP technology is experiencing success in the recycling market, for example at Regeplastic in France. Loic Rolland (Research and Development Member) and Lucie Charbonnel (Marketing Specialist) from DuPont Performance Materials explained: "Incompatible plastic mixtures in waste streams are very common. As a result, for recyclers it is expensive and often unprofitable to collect, clean, sort, grind and melt the stream. Our Entira™ EP technology can help solve this challenge, enabling recyclers to use less expensive plastic waste feedstock while producing better quality recycled plastic pellets and in turn achieve profitability." Entira™ EP, which addresses the recycling of polypropylene-polyethylene blends, is already being used in commercial applications for compatibilizing polyvinyl butyral (PVB) with polypropylene (PP). For example, French Hainaut-Plast, which operates in PVB recycling, uses it in various end-use applications such as acoustic insulation parts for automotive. The unique process used to recover PVB from waste glass, combined with the addition of Entira™ EP, achieves a more economical and efficient recycling process.