PFAS-Free PPAs Provide Better Processing and Results

Plastic and packaging stakeholders from processors to brands are fast-tracking the elimination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl, aka PFAS, in their products and materials as they shift to solutions considered safer for the environment and for everyone.  

One of those is Baerlocher USA, which unveiled new developments in its PFAS-free polymer processing aid (PPA) technology during NPE2024. The solutions offer environmentally friendly alternatives without significantly compromising on performance or quality, the company claims.

James Lloyd, the company’s new business development director, special additives business unit, provides background.

“A traditional polymer processing aid or PPA is made from a fluoropolymer. PPAs have been used extensively in film, pipe and wire and cable manufacturing for decades with the most versatile and widely used being per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) derived products that can contain additional chemistries that act as synergists to enhance efficiencies.

“For example, PPAs are used to improve processability of hard to process polymers mainly in the extrusion process to alleviate melt fracture — ‘shark skin, orange peel, etc.’ — in film and die lip build up (plate out) in extrusion. PPAs also provide lubricity and enhance the brightness and smoothness of the film surface while maintaining physical properties.”

“A traditional PPA can be provided directly upstream to the polymer producers as a neat additive or in blends with other additives such as antioxidants, slips, anti-block, etc., and can be compounded into a masterbatch for converters.”

RICK LINGLE VIA CANVA

That was before concerns emerged about PFAS.

“Growing environmental concerns about PFAS, and the EPA’s recognition of its risks in 1998, have led to increased scrutiny, lawsuits, and regulatory actions,” he explains. “In 2022, 3M announced it would stop manufacturing PFAS by the end of 2025, prompting a surge in the development of non-PFAS PPAs. This shift is driving the current trend towards safer, more sustainable PPA solutions that reduce PFAS chemicals in the environment and result in less exposure to consumers.”

According to Lloyd, the company offers non-PFAS PPA products in its Baerolub AID line that are commercially available.

Baerolub AID PPAs are used in process masterbatches that produce products used by resin producers and converters.

PPA pluses for processors and brand owners.

The new PPAs are timely for reasons beyond mitigating environmental concerns.

“PPAs are growing in popularity in the US due to the increased use of metallocene linear low-density polyethylene (mLLDPE) resins with narrow molecular weight distribution,” Lloyd says. “These resins produce excellent film properties but are more difficult to process compared to conventional LLDPE, so they require the use of PPAs.”

Benefits include increased throughput and decreased scrap due to melt fracture and cloudy film, he adds, as well as less die-lip build-up for extrusion lines.

The pictured series shows the progression in a blown film from the initial state of melt fracture through its final elimination by incorporating Baerlocher USA's PFAS-free PPA. The PPA eliminates all melt fractures without impacting haze or gloss. BAERLOCHER USA

The new products also provide downstream benefits to end-user customers.

“Non-PFAS PPAs can help brand owners to achieve their sustainability efforts and promote that their products do not contain intentionally added PFAS PPAs,” Lloyd points out.

It’s interesting to note where European markets align or diverge from what Baerlocher sees happening in the US.

“In the US, most of the PPA usage — estimated to be about 70% —is upstream at the producer level,” Lloyd observes. “Most resin producers have already converted to non-PFAS PPA and continue to test second and third generations of non-PFAS PPA additives. There has been significant development in the downstream market as well, with most major compounders offering non-PFAS PPA masterbatch solution(s) that utilize existing chemistries.”

Why Europe lags in move to non-PFAS PPAs.

By comparison, Europe has been slower to react to the issue, Lloyd explains.

“Due to less regulatory scrutiny and history of litigation than in the US, legislation in Europe has not been as urgently introduced. Also, due to lack of complimentary regulations between countries, the effort has not been as unified as it has been in the US and Canada. Most of the development has been happening downstream with the compounders in Europe because they supply the bulk of the additives to the plastic processors as a master batch. Efforts to address PFAS are starting to pick up in H2 2024 and expected to increase through 2025.”

Lastly, Lloyd shares what else PlasticsToday readers should know.

“Baerlocher’s Baerolub AID PFAS-free PPAs are being commercialized by several US polymer producers that have produced more than 500 million pounds of PE resin with the technology, mostly used on blown film," he says. "This easy-to-feed solution offers global food contact and regulatory approval, has similar advantages compared to current PFAS PPA additives, is compatible with other conventional additives used in film, and provides excellent optical and good physical properties for the finished film.” 

Read more about Baerlocher USA at PlasticsToday.