The ideal material for cost reduction and performance improvement

Graphene-enhanced plastics from Brazilian nanotechnology company Gerdau Graphene promise to deliver greater overall performance at a lower cost than conventional materials, while improving their sustainability impact
.

The new graphene-enhanced masterbatch formulation for polyethylene (PP) and polypropylene (PE) was created in collaboration with a government-funded Center for Advanced Materials in São Paulo, which Gerdau is piloting in a range of industrial applications
.
First commercial deliveries are expected in Brazil in the second half of 2022, with expansion to the Americas in 2023
.

According to Alex Corrêa, CEO of Gerdau Graphene, the presence of graphene-containing additives can increase several properties, including stiffness, impact resistance, thermal/electrical conductivity and resistance to degradation
.
“There are many different applications that could potentially benefit from it – flexible and rigid packaging, bottles, auto parts, plastic furniture, etc.

Graphene can also provide process benefits, such as enhanced mixing processes due to the reactive effects of carbon fillers, and can also improve Productivity in polymer processing, reduced cycle times
,” explains Corrêa
.

Corrêa added that these materials do not require any changes to plastic processing equipment, although some processing parameters may need to be adjusted to account for productivity gains
.

In addition to developing graphene additives for virgin resins, Gerdau Graphene is also working on the formulation of post-industrial and post-consumer recycled plastics and polymers, including PP, PE, PS, PC and PVC
.
According to data submitted by Gerdau Graphene, the United States produces about 8 million tons of PP and 23 million tons of PE annually
.
The company said reducing the amount of raw material PP and PE needed to manufacture the final plastic product by 30% could save up to 9.
3 million tonnes of PP and PE plastic in consumption and waste
.

Sustainability is the operating principle of Gerdau Graphene
.
“Our biggest challenge is how to make plastics better by improving material quality, reducing costs and increasing sustainability across the life cycle
.
We are now addressing all of these goals,” Côrrea said in a prepared statement "By adding specialized graphene additives to thermoplastic formulations, plastics producers can create stronger, more durable plastic products at extremely low cost, using less oil and raw materials
.
Because the final product requires more plastic There is less and less post-consumer plastic waste
.
There are also downstream effects, including reduced manufacturing waste, energy consumption and transportation
.
Also, plastic can be recycled into graphene and reused
.
”

Considering that additives can complicate the recycling process, I asked Corrêa what impact the graphene might have
.

In fact, graphene can be an ally when it comes to sustainability, he replied
.
"The use of graphene-containing additives prevents polymers from degrading during processing, which results in recycled plastics with higher properties, such as impact resistance
.
This enables higher levels of recycled plastics in many applications, promoting sustainability
"The polymers that contain graphene in the formulation are still recyclable and can be blended with natural or recycled polymers, and emphasizes that the presence of graphene will not be a barrier to recycling
.
"Furthermore, since graphene can add some mechanical properties to polymers, the use of graphene-containing additives can reduce thickness, which means less plastic is needed for the same end application
.
"

Graphene was born in 2004 and is known as a miracle material, and its inventor won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
.