Arlanxeo has introduced its new thermoplastic vulcanisates (TPVs) that combine Keltan Eco ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) with green fillers, plasticisers and thermoplastics.
These TPVs have been formulated with up to 90 per cent sustainable ingredients.
Keltan Eco is the world’s first EPDM rubber manufactured using bio- based ethylene extracted from sugarcane and depending on the ethylene content of each rubber grade, the proportion of bio-based material ranges between 50 per cent and 70 per cent.
By combining Keltan Eco EPDM with green compounding ingredients the new EPDM compounds can also be used for dynamic and static automotive sealing applications with 85 to 90 weight percent of its composition having sustainable origin and a technical performance comparable to standard EPDM compounds.
“We can now identify potential partners to (co-)develop these innovative bio-TPVs,” said Niels Van Der Aar, Business Development Manager EPDM/NBR at Arlanxeo.
"These bio-based TPVs can make a significant contribution to the circular economy, scoring well in a cradle-to-cradle approach and helping to lower the carbon footprint.”
Today, these new bio-based EPDM grades are commercially tested and used in applications, such as window profiles for buildings, automotive extrusion profiles, pharmaceutical applications, sport surfaces and most recently, in the sponge rubber layer directly underneath the outer cover of the official football of the World Cup 2018.