At K 2022 in Düsseldorf, Akro-Plastic GmbH, Bio-Fed, AF-Color and K.D. Feddersen Ueberseegesellschaft mbH will present their product ranges on a joint booth at the new location in Hall 6, C52.
"In order to counteract man-made climate change and to achieve the goals agreed in the Paris Climate Agreement, a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is necessary. The plastics industry can and must make an important contribution to this. We will present our contribution to the specialised public at K 2022", says Thilo Stier, Global Sales Director & Innovation Manager at Akro-Plastic. The companies of the Feddersen Group are aware of their responsibility and have set the goal of working in a climate-neutral manner according to Scope 1 and Scope 2 at all German locations by the end of 2025 at the latest. "In addition, many companies in the Feddersen Group have been certified according to ISCC Plus, and Akro-Plastic GmbH has also had certified according to REDcert²," adds Thilo Stier.
There are various starting points for CO2 reduction in the plastics industry. In addition to the selection of the materials themselves, the processing methods (e.g. foaming, 3D printing) or the component design (e.g. "Design for End of Life") can also have an influence on the sustainability of plastic components, both in the production and use phase as well as at the end of life of the components. Akro-Plastic can support its customers in all these areas.
With the Akromid Next product line, the compounder offers a broad portfolio of biobased and biomass-balanced compounds. According to the company, the decisive advantage of Next materials over many recycled materials is the constant level of properties. In addition, bioplastics such as PA 6.9 or PA 5.10 offer better chemical resistance and lower water absorption compared to classic PA 6 or PA 6.6.
As a further highlight, the company will show its Akrolen Next PP LGF, based on circular "frying-fat" polypropylene.
The use of biomass-balanced PP (based on cooking oil residues) in the long glass fibre-reinforced Akrolen Next PP-H LGF 40 2 CI black (8569) offers a unique combination of sustainability and technical performance. In a jointly implemented project, the Ziehl-Abegg company has developed a fan wheel based on this new series to meet sustainability requirements. The base polymer used still has a negative CO2 footprint. As a finished compound Akrolen Next PP-H LGF 40 2 CI black (8569) the value is 0.5 kg CO2eqv/kg. Currently, this is a prototype of this series. Further tests are in progress.
Fan wheel made of biomass balanced and long glass fibre reinforced PP Akrolen Next PP-H LGF 40 2 CI black (8569)
An eye-catcher on the booth is the new Husqvarna FE 350 Rockstar Edition 2022 from KTM. Here, sustainable product solutions such as a hybrid brake disc protector based on a bio-based polyamide, manufactured with the innovative Conexus joining technology and a seat base with a bio-circular long glass fibre reinforced PP are presented. KTM is thus taking on a pioneering role and demonstrating that sustainability and performance are no longer a contradiction in terms. Just like the motto: high-tech meets sustainability (see picture 1). Besides bioplastics, there are other interesting possibilities to reduce the CO2 footprint of plastic components. According to the compounder, aliphatic polyketone (Akrotek PK) is ideally suited for use in highly stressed cooling circuits with water and glycol and also has a significantly lower CO2 footprint compared to the PA 6.6 or PPA materials used.
The Husqvarna FE 350 Rockstar Edition 2022 enduro motorbike from KTM (photo KTM)
"Another approach to reducing the carbon footprint is offered by our Precite-E range. For example, a 50% glass fibre reinforced PET can not only be a cheaper alternative to PPA or PA 6.6, but with 1.8 kg CO2eq/kg, our Precite E GF 50 (7300) offers an almost 50% reduced CO2 footprint compared to the equivalent PA 6.6 GF 50" explains Thilo Stier.
The compounder is also presenting its new PPS portfolio at the K show.
