ecovio® EABASF’s new certified compostable packaging foam with
high biobased content
Dr. Sven Wenigmann
Business Development Biopolymers Packaging
General Introduction
2
Target area for ecovio® EA
Biobased/
biodegradable
Pro
duct
sensitiv
ity
No Yes
Low
Cardboard
ecovio® EA
EPP
EPS
High
Life cycle of ecovio® foam
3
Expandable bead
Multi-shock
resistance
Heat resistance
Chemical
resistance
Raw material
ecovio®
Part. biobased
Biodegradable
(DIN EN 13432)*
Biobased &
biodegradable
expandable
particle foam
*certification in progress
Composting of ecovio® EA
Compostable ecovio® EA foam
Fast Disintegration of foam (DIN EN 13432) in 5 weeks
Sample 1 Thickness 0.6 cm (cup) Sample 2 Thickness 5 cm (box)
ecovio® EA foam (11.7 x 8.8 cm² pieces) ecovio® EA foam (5 x 5 x 5 cm³ pieces)
at start after three weeks
of compostingat start after three weeks
of composting
7
* preliminary data
Performance ecovio® EA vs. EPS
Density (g/L)
Expandable bead density (g/L)
Cushioning factor
Compressive strength @ 10% (kPa)
Flexural work to break (J)
Flexural strength (kPa)
Product quality
EPS
25
~ 600
2.5
175
2.5
420
ecovio® EA foam*
25
~ 680
2.7
90
2.7
220
8
Applications
6
ecovio® EA expandable beads
Expandable beads (density: 700 g/l)
Blowing agent: Pentane
Adjustable bead size: 0.8 - 1.2 mm (1.05 mm*)
Adjustable color: White & Brown*
Transportation: Octabin (to be stored at RT)
Shelf life: > 6 months
* Current status
Production of ecovio® granules
through extrusion process
4
Processing I – Foaming
ecovio® expandable beads
Production of ecovio® foam beads using steam
Foaming using existing EPS pre-foamer, Drop-in solution
Adjustable foam density: 22 - 50 g/l ; closed cell foam
Adjustable foam bead size
Very short foaming time (< 15 secs); low temp: 98°C
Low steam consumption
Intermediate storage time: 24 – 48 hours
5
Processing II – Shape moulding
ecovio® expandable beads
Shape molding of ecovio® foam beads using steam
Shape molding using existing EPS / EPP machine,
Drop-in solution
Min. foam part density: 23 - 25 g/l
Molding cycle time like EPS
Conditioning of parts necessary (60°C; 4 hours)
Part shrinkage: ~1,5 – 1,7%
Necessary to design new mold considering the shrinkage
6
production line ready
K 2016
packaging grade commercially available
customer sampling starts after K show
End of 2016:
FC-grade
2017:
small beads
Outlook
11
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