November 1, 2012
In late stages of development at Teknor Apex Company are nearly 50 PVC compounds that incorporate new bio-based non-phthalate plasticizers and other formulation enhancements that address the “green” concerns of wire and cable users, it was announced by Vinyl Division industry manager Mike Patel.
The new RoHS- and REACH-compliant compounds will be available commercially in First Quarter 2013 under the brand name BioVinyl™. They will be the first wire and cable offerings from Teknor Apex that incorporate bio-based plasticizers, which are manufactured using plant byproducts. The use of these bio-based ingredients by Teknor Apex enables BioVinyl compounds to possess lower greenhouse gas emission potential than conventional vinyl and a carbon footprint that is even smaller in comparison with non-vinyl plastics used for wire and cable, according to Patel.
Target applications for the new BioVinyl compounds include power cord, appliance wire, data cable, and tray cable. Beyond reducing the carbon footprint of PVC, Teknor Apex has completely reformulated the compounds to achieve these additional enhancements:
– Phthalate-free plasticizer. The bio-based plasticizers in BioVinyl compounds are derived from naturally occurring vegetable substances. (Since these substances are not used for food, they are unaffected by supply/demand forces impacting other bio-derived plastics feed stocks such as corn starch.)
– Improved flame and smoke performance. “We have eliminated bromine and antimony additives while still achieving a level of flame and smoke performance comparable to or somewhat better than standard PVC,” Patel said.
– Reduction in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) resulting from formulation changes.
– Options for reducing acid gas. Alternative compound formulations are available that reduce acid gas content substantially, from the 24 to 25% level typical with standard PVC to the 12 to 13% range.
