Freiburg, April 23, 2014--- Here at the annual Chinaplas tradeshow held in Shanghai Solvay today introduced Ocalio™ cellulose acetate bio-plastic manufactured using wood pulp, an entirely renewable resource obtained from SFI(1)certified forests. This new and amorphous engineering bio-plastic is a non-toxic material.
Together with a bio-plasticizer the bio-based content of Ocalio™ compounds is at present 50%(2).
Unlike many bio-plastics, Ocalio™, as a cellulose acetate bio plastic, only uses wood pulp. An entirely renewable resource and thus does not compete for food resources. It also has a much lower CO2manufacturing footprint when compared to petroleum-based products.
With technical properties and performance more than comparable to oil-based plastics, Ocalio™ cellulose acetate compounds can not only replace applications made with engineering plastics such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) but also polycarbonates (PC).
"When compared with other bio-plastics, Ocalio™ plasticized cellulose acetate displays an exceptional balance of properties providing better mechanical and heat resistance, enhanced transparency and outstanding processability," says Louis Cozzari, Business Development Manager Solvay Acetow. "It can be easily moulded and is designed for a wide range of consumer goods end-use such as containers for cosmetics and personal car, electronic devices, toys, hair accessories, home appliances, writing instruments, mobile phones, etc..”
In addition to the beneficial range and balance of mechanical properties and ease of processing, Ocalio™ plasticized cellulose acetate displays excellent surface aesthetics such as a high gloss, smooth and silky tactile qualities and an exceptional depth of colour, for both opaque and transparent grades.
"Solvay has over a century of experience developing and manufacturing commodity and high performance specialty plastics and polymers and the addition of bio-plastics is a natural progression," explains Marc Michels, Marketing Director Solvay Acetow. "Our company’s renewable chemistry platform studies the potential of bio-based chemistry with the objective of identifying opportunities for improving, advancing, and expanding Solvay’s existing product offering to meet consumer’s demanding expectations in an evolving society."
Patents for cellulose acetate were first deposited by Solvay Acetow in 1911 - the year of the first Solvay Conference, prestigious meetings of the world’s leading scientists still held today. In recent years Solvay Acetow diversified its product portfolio based on its acetylation know-how.
Manufactured in Europe in back integrated and completely self-sufficient facilities, Ocalio™ cellulose acetate compounds is now commercially available.
Solvay is exhibiting at Chinaplas 2014 in Hall N1 Booth A01.
(1)The SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative)
(2)Based on ASTM D6866
TM Ocalio is a trademark of Solvay Acetow
As an international chemical group, SOLVAY assists industries in finding and implementing ever more responsible and value-creating solutions. Solvay generates 90% of its net sales in activities where it is among the world's top three players. It serves many markets, varying from energy and the environment to automotive and aeronautics or electricity and electronics, with one goal: to raise the performance of its clients and improve society's quality of life. The group is headquartered in Brussels, employs about 29,400 people in 56 countries and generated 9.9 billion euros in net sales in 2013. Solvay SA is listed as SOLB.BE on NYSE Euronext in Brussels and Paris (Bloomberg: SOLB:BB - Reuters: SOLB.BR).
