• ELATUR® DPT enables fast and simple production of flexible PVC products such as floor and wall coverings
• Introduced by Evonik in May 2018 - go live of second production campaign already in January 2019
• Evonik enlarges its broad product portfolio to meet customer and market requirements even better
Many plastic products would be inconceivable without plasticizers. In some applications, their proportion is up to 40 percent by product weight. Plastics should be flexible, smooth, and versatile in use, particularly in the case of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is originally hard and brittle. Only the addition of plasticizers turns PVC into a high-end plastic with a very broad application spectrum. Plasticizers act like a molecular lubricant whose molecules position themselves between the polymer chains of the PVC powder, producing flexibility in the originally rigid structure.
Almost all plasticizers are esters, due to the polar structure. Esters of phthalic acid, which are available in chain lengths of between 4 and 13 carbon atoms, offer a particularly advantageous price-performance ratio. They include, for example, DINP (C9), which Evonik markets in Europe under the brand name VESTINOL® 9.
To meet customers’ requirements and participate in the corresponding market development, Evonik has been working for some time on the development of the new generation of plasticizers. In 2013 Evonik took the first step in this direction with the launch of ELATUR® CH (diisononyl cyclohexanoate).
Very recently, Evonik’s researchers succeeded in producing a genuinely innovative product in the area of fast fusers with the new ELATUR® DPT (dipentyl terephthalate). The product is based on pentanols from the integrated C4-production-Verbund. Due to its polar character, it improves interaction with PVC, thus accelerating the processing process. The new fast fuser also offers customers a number of other advantages, including better pumpability and flowability at low temperatures.
Moreover, the product components are not critical with regard to emissions of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and SVOCs (semi-volatile organic compounds) so no additional emission-reducing coating of the soft PVC product is necessary.
The benefits for the customers: energy savings and/or increased production volumes in the existing plants.
Feedback from customers has been extremely positive, particularly when the product is used in combination with ELATUR® CH, and demand for the next few months is satisfyingly high.