Discover your next big idea at PACK EXPO Las Vegas this September
Experience a breakthrough in packaging & processing and transform your business with solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries.
REGISTER NOW & SAVE

Clariant: Liquid additive masterbatch minimizes yellowing in recycled PET bottles

Clariant announces a new liquid additive masterbatch that minimizes yellowing and greying of PET (polyester terephthalate) polymers caused by the introduction of post-consumer-recycled resin (PCR).

The uncolored PET bottle on the left was made using 25% PCR while the one on the right has the same PCR content but with 0.05% of the PET Enhancer added. The results are dramatic considering the low addition rates.
The uncolored PET bottle on the left was made using 25% PCR while the one on the right has the same PCR content but with 0.05% of the PET Enhancer added. The results are dramatic considering the low addition rates.

This content was written and submitted by the supplier. It has only been modified to comply with this publication’s space and style.

The new optical brightening products, which are part of the HiFormer® family of liquid masterbatch solutions and application technology, can be used in a wide variety of PET resin grades and processes, including injection-blow molding, injection molding and extrusion. Typically, PET resins are used in bottles and formed-sheet packaging. The additive has received approval for food-contact applications from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

“Packagers are under heavy pressure from consumers and environmental advocates to use more PCR in their products,” explains Peter Prusak, Head of Marketing – Clariant Masterbatches North America, “but the recyclate tends to reduce or discolor the crystal clarity that PET is known for. Clariant’s new HiFormer PET-enhancing additives promise to minimize this problem, opening new opportunities for more sustainable packaging.”

The Clariant liquid masterbatches are resistant to sedimentation and segmentation so they offer extended storage-shelf life. They are also easy to use in gravimetric metering systems that ensure accurate dosing and clean operation. Let-down ratios as low as 0.025% have been used successfully.

The new liquid additives were tested on a production scale blow-molding machine in Clariant’s facility in East Chicago, IL. Bottles made using 25% recycled PET and 75% virgin PET and no brightening additive were compared against bottles made with the same PCR resin and the additive in concentrations of 0.025, 0.035 and 0.05%. While the unmodified bottles showed significant yellowing, all the bottles made with the HiFormer additive were visibly brighter (less yellow and more blue).

 

Fill out the form below to request more information about Clariant: Liquid additive masterbatch minimizes yellowing in recycled PET bottles
Conveying Innovations Report
Editors report on distinguishing characteristics that define each new product and collected video demonstrating the equipment or materials as displayed at the show. This topical report, winnowed from nearly 300 PACK EXPO collective booth visits, represents a categorized, organized account of individual items that were selected based on whether they were deemed to be both new, and truly innovative, based on decades of combined editorial experience in experiencing and evaluating PACK EXPO products.
Take me there
Conveying Innovations Report
Annual Outlook Report: Automation & Robotics
What's in store for CPGs in 2025 and beyond? <i>Packaging World</i> editors explore the survey responses from 118 brand owners, CPG, and FMCG <i>Packaging World</i> readers for its new Annual Outlook Report.
Download
Annual Outlook Report: Automation & Robotics