Clariant launches renewable waxes for plastics applications

Additives supplier Clariant is introducing a family of high-performance waxes based on a renewable feedstock for use as filler and pigment dispersants, external/internal lubricants and mold release agents. Licocare RBW multi-purpose additives are based on crude rice bran wax. This is a non-food-competing by-product from the production of rice bran oil and is available in large quantities. The main target applications for Licocare RBW are in the processing of engineering thermoplastics and epoxy molded components.

Application tests by Clariant show that Licocare RBW solutions achieve higher performance levels compared to alternative solutions on the market. The two grades for plastics applications, Licocare RBW 300 TP and Licocare RBW 102 TP, fulfil numerous highly demanding requirements set by the transportation and electrical and electronic industries. Licocare RBW 300 TP is a partially saponified wax, Licocare RBW 102 TP is a medium-polarity wax type.

Clariant is launching Licocare RBW for plastics in Japan and plans to roll-out in other selected regions in the future. Japan’s highly innovative plastics market, with many players in the fields of engineering thermoplastics and epoxy molded components, is the perfect arena to establish the new solutions.

Both Licocare types are highly effective internal and external lubricants; they also enhance dispersion of fillers and pigments at low concentrations. They improve melt flow, lower the amount of force required to release parts from molds, and ensure a more homogeneous distribution. Furthermore, they offer an outstanding processing stability at elevated temperatures, due to their superior thermal stability, very low volatility and low metal content. Licocare RBW offers improved shaping flexibility, better mechanical properties and improved surface finish. This results in a reduced rejection rate and more effective dosage.

“Renewability is a key topic in the plastics industry, with key drivers including environmentally-aware consumers, climate change, government regulations and corporate renewable responsibility targets,” says Gloria Glang, Head of Global Business Line Waxes at Clariant. “Increasingly, plastics companies are adopting renewable raw materials such as bio-polymers and bio-additives to improve their eco-friendliness. Our renewable rice bran wax is very much in line with the trend.”