PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2014

MATERIAL / RECYCLING 20 PET planet insider Vol. 15 No. 05/14 www.petpla.net PET Catalyst technology by CTL Heavy metal no longer in tune Catalytic Technologies Ltd (CTL) has devel- oped a new titanium catalyst technology which eliminates the use of the heavy metal catalyst antimony oxide in PET production. The new technology has been tested by major industry players around the world. The com- pany has announced the ambitious business target of taking over 50% of the PET resin and sheet market within the next five years. New titanium catalyst technology for the industrial production of PET is now being adopted around the globe as PET manufacturers and proces- sors seek to eliminate the use of the heavy metal catalyst antimony oxide. The technology was developed by Catalytic Technologies Ltd (CTL), a company established in late 2010 on Teesside in the UK. To date the company has invested over £1million on research and development and in 2013 it launched its patent pending UP-Technology platform which exhi- bits performance unlike any other PET catalyst. UP is a catalyst technology platform that allows CTL to produce catalysts with a unique chemical com- position. It also eliminates undesired side reactions in this application. In addition to eliminating antimony oxide, the catalyst offers high polymer thermal stability, improved brightness and clarity owing to lower impurity content. It also offers a net reduction in the overall process energy required to produce plastic packaging and, lighter bottles without compromising on bottle strength, according to the company. In 2012, and following the continuous PET pilot unit trial of CTL Ti638 UP in early 2013, the PET chip produced during the trial had been melt processed into 2l preforms and bottles. Product options for bottle grade PET CTL Ti638 can be used to pro- duce PET fibre, film and resin at a range of intrinsic viscosities. The product contains 5% Ti on a weight basis and is a concentrated alter- native catalyst to CTL Ti184. The active titanate catalyst is dissolved in a water solvent and can be used at 7-10ppm Ti in PET applications and, being more concentrated than Ti184, allows to reduce shipping and storage volumes by 2.5 times. The product needs to be diluted in MEG for addition to the PET process. CTL Ti638 Up is a catalyst designed for the production of high intrinsic viscosity PET >0.70 dl/g. While titanium catalysts for PET have been investigated for over three decades, limitations in the use of current Ti-PET as a result of ther- mal instability during processing at high IV are well known, and this has restricted existing catalysts to lower IV PET fibre and film applications. The industry has also suffered from the process limitations of titanate catalysts, particularly linked to solid state polymerisation rates. Catalytic Technologies claims that with the titane catalysts, manufac- turers of polyester chip, bottles and A-PET sheet can experience  improved thermal stability com- pared to antimony-PET  lower chip acetaldehyde content and reduced AA generation during processing  brighter polymer with reduced haze  lower crystallinity chip allowing for up to 40% energy reduction on melt processing  increase in PET crystallisation temperature allowing for higher temperature filling  increased crystallinity in blown bottle side walls allowing for light weighting  antimony free catalyst formulation  full function for high IV PET, with- out compromise, in both solid state polymerisation and in melt to resin process technology.