+Green Liquid Additive Converts Plastic to Biodegradable Wax

ADDITIVE PROVIDES STANDARD SHELF LIFE FOR PLASTIC, THEN CONVERTS IT TO BIODEGRADABLE WAX, AVOIDING CENTURIES OF POST-USE LITTER AND POLLUTION BY DEGRADATION RESIDUES

TimePlast® Ingredient in New +Green™ Liquid from Riverdale Global Provides More Sustainable, Lower-Cost Alternative to Biodegradability Additives and Biopolymers

ASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., June 14, 2017: A new liquid additive from Riverdale Global instantly alters the polymer structure of plastics during processing, yielding a finished product that provides the same performance and shelf life as a standard counterpart but then is reduced to biodegradable wax, eliminating 98% of the centuries-long process involved in natural degradation. Named +Green™, the additive will be introduced by Riverdale Global at the Plastics Industry Association’s Re/Focus Sustainability and Recycling Conference (Booth 204).

The active ingredient in +Green liquid additive is a formulation invented by the company TimePlast (Coral Gables, FL), whose technology is covered by US Patent No. 9181412B2. Riverdale Global has a manufacturing agreement with TimePlast and to incorporate the TimePlast® formulation into the +Green additive for sale to the global market.

TimePlast technology radically accelerates the natural process by which plastics degrade. Left exposed to normal environmental heating and cooling, the covalent carbon-to-carbon bonds that make long-chain polymer structures possible gradually weaken and break, yielding the small molecular structures typical of waxes. The process can take 1,500 years. In contrast, the TimePlast formulation targets the covalent bonds during the melt processing required in standard molding or extrusion, replacing those bonds with weaker linkages that ultimately will cause the breakup of the polymers into biodegradable wax molecules. The cooling step that follows melt processing delays the breakup of the polymer chains into wax molecules, permitting a normal use life for the product.

“The finished product performs exactly like its unmodified counterpart for the full period of time required for a standard working life or shelf life,” said Manuel Rendón, CEO of TimePlast. “Our technology does the work of nature in 98% less time, leaving a working life of 2% for the plastic product—more than enough for most applications.” 

The +Green liquid additives provides a substantial economic advantage over oxo-biodegradable additives and bioplastic resins, according to Paul Maguire, president of Riverdale Global: “The added cost of rendering a finished product biodegradable is seventeen times greater per pound of finished product with oxo-biodegradable additives than with the +Green liquid additive, and it is far greater indeed if you use bioplastics rather than an additive.” [See attached table.]

The +Green liquid additive is also a more sustainable means to biodegradability, noted Manuel Rendón: “Other additives reduce products to plastic micro-fragments that remain in the environment—in fact, the only true degradation that takes place is that of the additive itself. In contrast, TimePlast technology converts plastic into environmentally benign biodegradable waxes, and it does so without need for the action of soil bacteria, water, or oxygen, and without the production of carbon dioxide. Indeed, we calculate that the carbon footprint of TimePlast-treated polyethylene is fully 65% less than that of the untreated polymer.”    

Riverdale Global supplies a full range of liquid colors and additives, and like other additives from the company, the new +Green liquid can be supplied as a stand-alone product or in combination with a color. All products are supplied in a container that stays sealed from the moment it arrives at the processor’s loading dock, through storage, handling, and metering into the process, and during return to Riverdale Global for replenishment.

“In accordance with Riverdale Global’s proprietary ‘Pump in a Drum’ design, all of our additives are metered into the process by a pump that is located inside the drum,” said Paul Maguire. “Our total-system concept eliminates the complications of handling liquids, including spillage, leakage, cleanup, pump maintenance, unused additive, environmental concerns, and disposal costs.”

Information on TimePlast technology is posted at www.timeplast.net.

RIVERDALE GLOBAL specializes in liquid color management for the plastics industry through our sealed color technology and global service network. The company’s world headquarters is in Aston, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., with international offices based in the United Kingdom, Dubai, Singapore, and China. The Riverdale legacy dates back to the early 1900s as a supplier of dyes and industrial chemicals with a focus today on economy through process automation, sustainability and local service. Email: contactus@riverdaleglobal.com. Visit www.riverdaleglobal.com.