Ecoflex

Biodegradable Plastic Applications Range Properties Processing

BASF Plastics key to your succes

Ecoflex

Ecoflex is the name for biodegradable aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters supplied by BASF since 1998. Ecoflex degrades within a few weeks on exposure to certain factors present for example in compost. It can be used in formations combining thermoplastic starch with biodegradable synthetic polymers known as starch blends or on its own in the flexible films sector. With Ecoflex you can provide your customer with packaging which is fully biodegradable.

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Ecoflex the start of a continuing development process

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Ecoflex the right solution for products derived from renewable raw materials Ecoflex highly versatile, gentle on the environment Ecoflex flexible film applications with excellent properties

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Ecoflex the completely biodegradable plastic

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Ecoflex biodegradable plastic with high functionality

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Ecoflex film production made easy

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Ecoflex ecologically tested

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Ecoflex global certification

Ecoflex the start of a continuing development process

Over a wide range of application sectors, plastics are already making a significant contribution to protection of the environment and conservation of resources. This success will continue wherever plastics have ecological advantages over other materials, or can open up new applications.

Ecoflex

Plastics so that the environment has a future Today, plastic materials are an integral part of our lives. Through their ability to substitute other materials, they represent from both an economic and ecological viewpoint the best solution to many of our problems. They meet our needs contributing greatly to better living standards while remaining compatible with the environment by minimizing the use of natural resources over their entire lifecycle. And when it comes to creating new applications, the versatility and innovative potential of plastics is second to none.

What do we expect from plastics? The requirements are demanding: a resource-conserving production process, tailored properties, very good price/ performance ratio and, very importantly, logical and environmentally friendly recovery. What are the opportunities for biodegradable plastics? Biodegradable plastics could in future actively contribute to conserving natural resources. Two examples: agricultural films which are plowed into the soil after use and then degrade and bags for organic waste which can be composted together with their contents.

Plastic - a material which is not only highly desirable, but also essential for daily life: household equipment, cars, sports equipment, office and information technology and packaging its impossible to imagine any of these sectors without plastics. Nowadays, our expectations from plastics go beyond tailored properties and good price/performance ratio. The call for environmentally friendly production and disposal is becoming ever more persistent, especially in the food packaging sector. Consumers, retailers, manufacturers and the entire packaging industry are all facing the question of how to deal with waste. Does the answer lie solely in conventional methods of recovery?

BASF is offering an alternative in the form of Ecoflex, a fully biode-gradable plastic. Ecoflex is attacked by microorganisms under certain environmental conditions, such as those present in compost, and then is degraded completely. Ecoflex is therefore returned to the natural environment in the same way as any naturally occurring polymer, such as starch, cellulose or protein. Ecoflex also has an ideal combination of processing properties and performance characteristics. BASFs Vision 2010 involves a commitment to sustainable development. Innovative materials and novel solutions to problems are the tools which we will be using to ensure that plastics continue to be a driving force for progress progress which balances the requirements of the environment with those of economics. Ecoflex is an important milestone along this road.

Ecoflex the start of a continuing development process

Ecoflex The right solution for products derived from renewable raw materials

The highest level of quality - and in harmony with the environment. Biodegradable Ecoflex brings further improvement to packaging based on maize starch, potato starch and polylactide acide (PLA).
Ecoflex The right solution for products derived from renewable raw materials

Ecoflex Granulat

Ecoflex is completely biodegradable. Ecoflex-coated food packaging made from renewable raw materials, such as maize starch, PLA or potato starch ("starch blends) simply ends up as compost. Composting breaks down and degrades these materials completely just as it does for natural polymers - leaving no residues.

Ecoflex coating gives real strength to starch foam packaging. Ecoflex gives this type of packaging better protection from breakage and cracking. It also gives resistance to grease, moisture and temperature variation, because Ecoflex is moisture-resistant and has high tensile strength. The result: high-performance food packaging. Foods retain their freshness and taste. Hamburger boxes, coffee cups, or packaging for meat, fish, poultry, fruit or vegetables, or food trays or fast-food boxes Ecoflex improves the servi- ceability of starch foam substrates. It also complies with the requirements of food legislation. PLA formulations acquire greater toughness and stiffness when blended with Ecoflex.

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Ecoflex highly versatile, gentle on the environment

Packaging is a particular sector which benefits from Ecoflex as a protective film or component of laminated paper. Its properties ensure high resistance to moisture and fats.

It is ideal in packaging which becomes heavily contaminated with food residues after use - wrapping paper, drinks cartons, fast food packaging, or drinks cups. Totally biodegradable Ecoflex allows all of the waste to be composted. Ecoflex film is also an agriculturally useful mulch for crops such as asparagus, lettuce, cucumbers, and strawberries. After harvest, the films are simply plowed in with what is left of the plants, and biodegrade.

Ecoflex cleans up organic waste. Bags made from Novamonts Mater-Bi (a blend of starch and Ecoflex) are fully biodegradable. So food wastes can be collected hygienically in the kitchen and composted together with the bag. Undesirable odor and pest infestation are prevented. The continual task of scrubbing the kitchen waste container can be dispensed with, and Ecoflex improves moisture resistance, so that there is less leakage from tea bags or fruit residues!

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Ecoflex highly versatile, gentle on the environment

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Ecoflex flexible film applications with excellent properties

Ecoflex has been developed specifically for flexible film applications. Ecoflex films are fully degradable, opening up new horizons in packaging disposal.
Ecoflex flexible film applications with excellent properties

What are the advantages of Ecoflex for the retailer? Ecoflex is ideally suited for packing premium organic food products. Frozen products and agricultural consumer products can be presented to the customer in fully biodegradable packaging. Ecoflex gives the retailer a strong environmental selling point that helps to increase customer acceptance.

What are the advantages of Ecoflex for packaging producers? Ecoflex films, both monofilms and composites with paper, have properties very similar to those of polyethylene (LDPE). The major advantage for the producer using Ecoflex films is that production and printing can take place on any conventional plant designed for polyethylene film processing. There is no need to buy new machinery. Like polyethylene, Ecoflex is waterproof, has good tensile strength, and is flexible, printable and weldable. So there are many ways of using Ecoflex: in blown film, extrusion coating or cast film. Ecoflex can also be used to make transparent films. Ecoflex complies with the food legislation requirements of EC 90/128.

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Ecoflex the completely biodegradable plastic

Ecoflex represents an innovative group of products fully biodegradable plastics. They degrade with the aid of naturally occurring enzymes, which are capable of attacking these polymers. The only decisive factor here is the structure of the macromolecule not the source of the raw materials.

Fig.1: Plastics like Ecoflex are completely biodegradable to EN 13432 if at least 90% of the organic carbon in the material has been converted during a test period not exceeding 180 days. The degradation curve shows that Ecoflex gives more than 90% conversion after only 80 days.

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Biodegradation (theor. CO2 in %)

Cellulose
80 60

Ecoflex
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Ecoflex the completely biodegradable plastic

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20

40

60

80

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Time (Days)

This test for rotting in compost shows that Ecoflex films are substantially degraded after as little as four weeks at 55C.

Polymers from natural processes The natural environment is easily the largest producer of macromolecules: other than peptides and proteins these are mainly biodegradable polymers of vegetable origin, such as starch and cellulose. Starch is found in all cereals and in potatoes, while cellulose is an important constituent of timber and is used in papermaking. How do materials biodegrade? Nature not only teaches us how to build macromolecules it has also developed methods of cleaving the molecular chains of certain polymers. The degradation process is very specific, for example using enzymes formed by microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi. The microorganisms absorb the small fragments of macromolecules and use them as food. The metabolic process then produces end products which are discarded and returned to the natural cycle.

Ecoflex is fully biodegradable and fulfills all of the requirements of European Standard EN 13432, which describes methods for testing compostability of a polymeric material. The tests show whether a polymeric material can be biodegraded or converted into constituents of compost, under controlled com-posting conditions. A further test studies whether the material or its degradation products affect the composting process or the quality of the compost. Plastics are polymeric materials, mostly prepared from petrochemicals. These synthetic polymers can also be fully biodegradable if enzymes cleave their molecular chains and all of the fragments can be used by microorganisms as food. The only important factor here is the structure of the macromolecule, and not the origin of the raw materials.

Ecoflex is a product from the group of biodegradable plastics specifically developed by BASF polymer research. These materials are based on polyesters. Entering compost they are getting attacked and degraded by natural occuring enzymes (Fig.1). Comprehensive testing has demonstrated that Ecoflex meets the strict requirements of EN 13432 with regard to complete biodegradability, compostability, compost quality and plant compatibility.

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Ecoflex biodegradable plastic with high functionality

Property

Unit

Test method

Ecoflex F

LDPE

Property

Unit

Test method

Ecoflex F

LDPE

Density Melt viscosity MVR 190 C, 2.16 kg Melt point Shore D hardness Vicat VST A/50

g/cm3

ISO 1183 ISO 1183

1.25-1.27 2.5-4.5 110-120 32 80

0.922-0.925 0.8-1.2 111 48 96

Transparency Tensile strength Tensile stress at break Tensile strain at break Fracture energy (Dynatest) Transmission rates: Oxygen Water vapor

% N/mm2 N/mm2 % J/mm

ASTM D 1003 ISO 527 ISO 527 ISO 527 DIN 53373

82 35/44 36/45 560/710 24

89 26/20 300/600 5.5

ml/10 min C C

DSC ISO 868 ISO 306

Tab. 1: Typical properties of Ecoflex F and LDPE

ml/(m2 d bar) g/(m2 d)

DIN 53380 DIN 53122

1400 170

2900 1.7

Tab. 2: Typical film properties of Ecoflex F and LDPE at 50 m thickness

Unlike most grades of polyester, Ecoflex needs no predrying, since it has sufficient hydrolysis resistance at the usual processing temperatures. The density of Ecoflex is about 1.25 g/cm3, typical for a copolyester, and 35% higher than that of LDPE.

Both products have crystalline melting point in the same region, 110-120 C. Shrinkage measurements should therefore be made at temperatures above 100 C.

For thin films, thickness from 15 to 20 mm, adding Ecoflex Batch SL 2 reduces water vapor transmission by about 50-60%. Addition of talc does not reduce water vapor transmission. A marked reduction of about 45% can be achieved by maximum orientation (stretch ration 1:4, RT, Tab.3).

One reason for this is that Ecoflex F has a higher polarity than LDPE. Ecoflex F, without addition of Ecoflex mas-

The product data sheets on Ecoflex F can be found at www.basf.de/ecoflex.

Film thickness m Ecoflex F Ecoflex F+ wax Ecoflex F + talc Ecoflex F + talc, 1:4 20 15 32 12

WVT g/m2*d 23 C, 85% r.h 100 m 85 35 83 46

Tensile strain at break in extrusion direction N/mm2 41 39 25 70

Tab. 3: Water-vapor transmission (WVT) of Ecoflex F

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Ecoflex biodegradable plastic with high functionality

The profile of Ecoflex F compared with LDPE. Ecoflex F is a flexible plastic designed for film extrusion and extrusion coating. These application sectors use mainly polyolefins, in particular PE. A commercial LDPE has therefore been used for product comparison. This is a product used for producing items such as plastic bags, carrier bags, diaper films and laminating films (Tab. 1).

The MVR of Ecoflex is 2.5-4.5 ml/10 min, substantially higher than for LDPE (0.8-1.2). Since the melt temperatures (140-170 C) for processing Ecoflex are markedly lower than for LDPE (190-220 C) there is little difference in viscosities at processing temperature. Shore D hardness and Vicat softening point for Ecoflex F are much lower than those for LDPE.

Like LDPE, Ecoflex achieves high tensile strain at break together with high penetration resistance. LDPE usually achieves either high penetration resistance or high tensile strain at break, depending on the running conditions. The tensile strengths of Ecoflex are significant- ly higher than the comparative values for LDPE. Oxygen transmission through LDPE is about twice as high as the value for Ecoflex F. On the other hand, water vapor transmission through Ecoflex is many times higher than the value for LDPE (Tab. 2).

terbatches, is somewhat less transparent than LDPE. Only the addition of about 5% Ecoflex Nucleation Agent NA1 leads to a 50% improvement of transparency of the film. Water vapor transmission can be significantly reduced by adding the lubricant Ecoflex Batch SL 2.

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Ecoflex film production made easy

Masterbatch Ecoflex Ecoflex Ecoflex Ecoflex Ecoflex Ecoflex Ecoflex Ecoflex Batch Batch Batch Batch Batch Batch Batch Batch SL 1 SL 2 AB 1 AB 2 AB 3 C White C Black NA

Description Lubricant Lubricant Antiblocking agent Antiblocking agent Antiblocking agent White masterbatch Black masterbatch Nucleation Agent

Content 10% of Erucamide 5% of wax, additives 60% of fine chalk 60% of coarse chalk 40% of very fine chalk 60% of TiO2 25% of carbon black

Tab. 4: Masterbatches fr Ecoflex

Film production and recovery Ecoflex F comes closer than any other biodegradable plastic to the processing properties of LDPE and LLDPE. Blown film extrusion is a particular area where Ecoflex F shows well-balanced processing properties. And Ecoflex F can be used in chill-roll applications. Blown film extrusion and chill-roll extrusion with Ecoflex F Most blown film plants available in the market are fundamentally suitable for Ecoflex F film production. Production plant selection Ecoflex F can be processed on standard LDPE and HDPE plants which have a grooved feed zone with straight right-angle grooves and an effective cooling system.

Accurate metering of Ecoflex masterbatches is made substantially easier if there is a gravimetric feed system of all the components available with mixing equipment in the hopper. Screw design should permit a melt temperature of 140-170C. The take-off should be composed of two rubber rolls and be capable of handling film thicknesses below 20 mm. The contact winder should have equipment for handling thin flexible films in the desired thickness range; crease-free production requires spreader rolls or banana rolls. Throughputs of 130-250 kg/h are achieved with an extruder diameter 90 mm.

Film production with Ecoflex F Before starting any trial, equipment should be flushed for more than 2 h with an LDPE grade having an MFI of 4-5 g/10 min or with a cleaning compound. The zone and head temperatures should be lowered to Ecoflex level during cleaning, giving a melt temperature of from 140 to 170C. This is followed by flushing with the mixture prepared for film production, e.g.: 95% of Ecoflex F 4% of Ecoflex Batch AB 1 1% of Ecoflex Batch SL 1. Chill roll: set roll temperatures at about 40 C; use Ecoflex Batch NA 1. Blown film production should begin at a low rotation rate; raising of the flexible bubble should be slow and uniform. If there is internal cooling, the cooling air setting should be at a minimum. The films should be cut using new blades, if possible titanium-nitride-coated. Tension at the film winder should be set to the lowest possible value. Cooling air must be turned off during pauses in production, to avoid freezing of the melt. Temperatures are raised to PE level after the production campaign. The PE grades to be used in subsequent production are used as flushing material.

Recovery of production waste Ecoflex waste should be collected and recovered separately from polyolefins. Underwater pelletizers combined with single- or twinscrew extruders are in principle suitable for the mechanical recycling. Property profile modification - applications Most applications require development of a mixing specification oriented toward the performance characteristics of the product and the requirements of the production processes used (extrusion, printing, finishing, packing). BASF has therefore developed a standard line of Ecoflexbased masterbatches, the grades being as follows (see Tab. 4 and Tab. 5).

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Ecoflex film production made easy

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Ecoflex film production made easy

Printing and finishing Ecoflex F can generally be printed on LDPE printing machinery. It is advisable to use conventional alcohol-based inks. The film should be corona-treated prior to printing. Drying temperatures are lower than with PE; a production trial is necessary to determine these. Finishing processes require the use of films with adequate slip, to avoid creasing. Welding temperatures should be lowered to a surface temperature of from about 90 to 100C on changeover from PE to Ecoflex. Perforating should be carried out with sharp tools suitable for perforating elastomers. In selecting welding parameters, remember that welding pressure can also be used to raise the strength of Ecoflex weld seams. Ultrasound welding and high-frequency welding are fundamentally suitable for Ecoflex F.

The mixing specification for the film must always be developed on the production plant taking into account the properties desired in the final product. Summary Ecoflex is highly compatible with natural materials, e.g. starch, cellulose. Ecoflex fulfills the qualitative requirements placed upon a product for film production or extrusion coating. Ecoflex is printable, weldable and can be mechanically recycled. Ecoflex masterbatches allow versatile modification of film properties for a wide variety of applications. Ecoflex complies with the food legislation requirements of EC 90/128.

Tubular film production from Ecoflex

Film quality Transparency

Basic mixing specification 87.5-96% Ecoflex F 1.0% Ecoflex Batch AB 3 1.0-1,5% Ecoflex Batch SL 1 0-10% Ecoflex Batch NA 1

Applications Bags and carrier bags for food and vegetables Transparent carrier bags with secondary use as waste bags Knot bags Wraps, tubular bags for salad products and vegetables Wraps for sausages or cheese Tubular bags for chopped fruit or chopped salad products Raschel sacks for fruit or vegetables Wraps for salad products or vegetables Wraps for sausages or cheese Stretch film
Ecoflex film production made easy

Orientability

86-96% Ecoflex F 2.5% Ecoflex Batch AB 3 1.5% Ecoflex Batch SL 1 0-10% Ecoflex Batch NA 1 87-93%Ecoflex F 6-8%Ecoflex Batch SL 2 1-5%Ecoflex Batch AB 1 76% Ecoflex F 16% PLA, starch blend 4% Ecoflex Batch AB 1 1% Ecoflex Batch SL 1

H2O barrier

Laminating films for trays made from natural materials (e.g. starch, cellulose) General packaging films (mono) Coextruded films for MAP (modified-atmosphere packaging)

Stiffness Customers carrying out their own trials can obtain technical service information on Ecoflex from ecoflex@basf-ag.de

Tab. 5: Possibilities for modifying Ecoflex F

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Ecoflex ecologically tested

Ecoflex always in harmony with nature. The ecological properties of Ecoflex have been tested. Result: Ecoflex causes no disturbance of the natural environment. Used biodegradable polymers can be incorporated into soil, either directly or via composting.

A variant is also sown with 50% of compost. Compost with very good suitability as plant substrate for market gardening exhibits no adverse effects on plant growth even when relatively large amounts are used. This test studies the effect of the test substance on the growth of spring barley. (Fig.2) The following samples were prepared and tested: standard substrate (standard soil 0) mixture of standard substrate and 25% of compost with Ecoflex added, after 12 weeks of composting mixture of standard substrate and 50% of compost with Ecoflex added, after 12 weeks of composting. EN 13432 says that a plastic is acceptable for composting if plant tolerance in ecological testing using two different plants is at least 90% of the value for the control with no biodegradable additive. Ecoflex meets all these requirements.

Testing for water-soluble intermediates - Daphnia test The toxicity tests for degradable intermediates place particular emphasis on toxicity of water-soluble intermediates, since these can easily pass into groundwater and are quite easily absorbed by organisms. Testing was carried out to DIN 38412 Part 30 [German standard methods for the examination of water, wastewater and sludge; bio-assays (group L); determining the tolerance of Daphnia to the toxicity of wastewater by way of dilution series (L 30)]. This test uses the pollutant-dependent immobilization of Daphnia in solutions of various concentrations (a dilution series). The test progressively dilutes the starting solution, and at each concentration 10 Daphnia are incubated for 24 h with the test solution (20C, pH 7.0 0.2) and the number of Daphnia remaining mobile are counted. Classification in this toxicity test is on the basis of the Gd value. This value gives the minimum dilution at which at least 9 Daphnia remain mobile. The results are given in the table 6.

Examples of industrially recognized ecotoxicity tests for soils are the plant growth test and the Daphnia test. The plant tolerance test, the barley test, is a crucial factor in compost quality. The greater the plant tolerance, the greater the amount of a compost which may be used, and hence the greater its value in many areas of usage in horticulture and agriculture. A compost is accepted as planttolerated if a mixture of 25% of compost with standard soil 0 (EE0) achieves 90% of the fresh barley mass of the EE0 variant.

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Water-soluble intermediates

Control (buffer) 2 0.3

Degradation intermediates from Ecoflex A, B, T, BA, BT 2 2102

Ecoflex ecologically tested

Relative yield in % refer to control

120 90 60 30 0

130 102 100

Ecotoxicity test with Daphnia Gd DOC (mg/l)

Tab. 6: The Daphnia test shows that degradation intermediates from Ecoflex have no adverse effect on Daphnia. A: Adipic Acid B: 1,4-Butane Diole T: Terephthalic Acid

25 % Compost

50 % Compost

EEO

Ecoflex - toxicologically non-hazardous Ecoflex is a biodegradable material which has undergone rigorous testing under OECD guidelines. A series of toxicological tests demonstrated that the material has no adverse effects of any kind on human health. In harmony with nature - and this includes Ecoflex film in diapers for babies. The facts have been demonstrated in tests under OECD guidelines. Definitely no allergies or skin irritation!

Fig. 2: The plant growth test shows that compost with Ecoflex added has no adverse effect on plant growth.

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Ecoflex global certification

Biodegradable materials aim to allow degradation to take place in compost, by using microorganisms. Ecoflex is a biodegradable material which has now achieved worldwide acceptance. That means that Ecoflex fulfills every requirement for complete biodegradability, compostability,

compost quality and plant tolerance of: European Standard EN 13432 GreenPla the system for testing and certification in Japan American Certification System of Biodegradable Products Institute

Ecoflex product line Each grade within the Ecoflex range has been optimized for its particular application sector by controlled branching and chain lengthening. The Ecoflex line includes two primary grades:

Product

Applications

Ecoflex F Ecoflex S

for flexible film applications base material for blends

COMPOSTABLE
Biodegradable
Products Institute

OMPOSTING COUNCIL US C

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Ecoflex global certification

Throughout the world, these compostability labels are a clear indicator of quality. Only products that are made of completely biodegradable materials, such as Ecoflex, are allowed to display this symbol. Within the scope of a special certification procedure, independent institutes examine the suitability for composting according to very strict criteria. Thus, Ecoflex meets not only the requirements of European standard EN 13432 on the compostability of materials but also those of Japanese standard GreenPla and of American Certification System of Biodegradable Products Institute.

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Note The information submitted in this publication is based on our current knowledge. In view of the many factors that may affect processing and application, these data do not relieve processors of the responsibility of carrying out their own tests and experiments; neither do they imply any legally binding assurance of certain properties or of suitability for a specific purpose. It is the responsibility of those to whom we supply our products to ensure that any proprietary rights and ex-isting laws and legislation are observed. You can find further detailed information on products and applications of Ecoflex on

www.basf.de/ecoflex

= reg. trademark of BASF

BASF Aktiengesellschaft Marketing Ecoflex Tel: +49 - 621 - 60 - 4 14 46 Fax: +49 - 621 - 60 - 9 33 84 www.basf.de/ecoflex 67056 Ludwigshafen Germany