Plastic Additives for textile and fibers
From ancient times, humans have been using fibers from natural sources to dress and support their survival, but it was not until the chemist Hermann Staudinger postulated the existence of macromolecules in the 1920s that the search for new polymers was triggered. These efforts lead to new molecules which had the potential to quickly replace the natural fiber sources, such as cotton, wool and silk.
The milestone discovery of polyamide in the late 1930s as substitute for war-time scarce silk lead to a booming development of new artificial fiber materials. Now, almost 100 years after Staudinger’s seminal works, globally more than 60 million tons of synthetic fibers are produced worldwide, making up for more than 60% of the global fiber production. Dominated initially by polycondensation polymers polyamide and polyesters, the development has not stopped. Moving along from traditionally woven or knitted fabric, the development has expanded into a multitude of textile architectures, which are no longer made out of single components but may constitute complex architectures to meet the demands of technology progress.
Textile applications these days are manifold and the industries they serve range from agriculture to transportation, from architecture to consumer products, from building and construction to sports and leisure.
Continuous effort in sustainability has reduced the consumption of scarce resources such as fiber’s raw materials, water and energy while maintaining fabric performance. Demand is growing as well for additives that help meet challenging regulations, such as non-halogenated flame-retardants, and products and processes that facilitate the use of industrial scraps and recycled materials.
Energy-efficient materials include fiber-made composites such as roofing membranes that are used for instance in modern building insulation. Today, manufacturers combine innovative raw materials, fiber spinning technologies and fabric construction to design textiles that meet challenging durability and performance requirements to minimize the consumption of resources.
Fibers are used for numerous applications, such as artificial turf, technical textiles, carpet and upholstery. They must withstand harshest climate conditions, including prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures, UV light and environmental contaminants. Long-term durability is essential in certain applications, such as construction and automotive.
Increasingly stringent safety specifications for applications such as construction, interior fabrics, medical textiles, hygiene products and workwear are accelerating the demand for additives such as stabilizers with low volatility, low smoke-density flame-retardants and low odor vis-breaking agents.
BASF has the technical know-how and product portfolio to tackle the toughest plastic additives challenges of the synthetic fiber industry.
A pack of prerequisites and challenges
Disposable and durable packaging carry a variety of requirements, ranging from ease of processing, economical efficiency to food contact compliance and stunning aesthetics.
| Benefit | Processing & thermal stabilizers | Light stabilizers | Clarifiers |
| Bottles PO | Irganox® B 215, B 225, B 561, 1010 Irgafos® 168 |
Tinuvin® 326 | Irgaclear® XT 386 |
| Bottles PET | Irganox® B 561 Irgafos® 126, 168 |
Tinuvin® 234 |
| Benefit | Processing & thermal stabilizers | Light stabilizers | Nucleators & antistatic agent |
| Caps | Irganox® B 215, B 561, 1010 Irgafos® 168 |
Tinuvin® 326 Chimassorb® 2020 |
Irgastab® NA 287 Irgaclear® XT 386 |
| Benefit | Processing & thermal stabilizers | Light stabilizers | Nucleators & antistatic agent |
| PP and PE | Irganox® B 215, B 900, 1010, 1076, E 201 Irgafos® 168 Irgastab® 301 Irgastab® XT 500 |
Chimassorb® 2020 Tinuvin® 326 |
Irgaclear® XT 386 Irgastab® NA 287
Irgastat® P |
| Benefit | Processing & thermal stabilizers | Light stabilizers | Nucleators & antistatic agent |
| PP and HDPE | Irganox® B 215, B 225, B 561, 1010 Irgafos® 168 |
Chimassorb® 2020 Tinuvin® 326 Uvinul® 4050 (PP-food) Tinuvin® 783 |
Irgastab® NA 287
Irgastat® P |
| Benefit | Processing & thermal stabilizers | Light stabilizers | Antistatic agent |
| FIBC - PP | Irganox® B 215 Irganox® B 225 |
Tinuvin® 791 Tinuvin® 783 Tinuvin® XT 55 Chimassorb® 2020 Uvinul® 4050 |
Irgastat® P |
| IBC - HDPE | Irganox® B 561 Irganox® B 215 |
Tinuvin® 783 Chimassorb® 2020 Tinuvin® 326 |
Irgastat® P |
| FFS - (L)LDPE | Irganox® B 215 Irganox® B 900 |
Tinuvin® 783 Chimassorb® 2020 Tinuvin® 326 |
Irgastat® P |
