Styroflex – Cost-effective binder for bio-based products
INEOS Styrolution, the leading international player in styrenics, has asserted that its Styroflex SBC offering is a cost-effective binder for bio-based products such as cork.
The up-and-coming solution is a cork-Styroflex compound requiring no additional additives or binders. This promising, cost-effective, fully recyclable alternative to Polyurethane-based binder compounds promises an exciting prospect for manufacturers looking to replace their current products.
By 2020, INEOS Styrolution had an epiphany – combining biomass-based cork granules, a styrene-based material boasting a remarkable flow at compounding temperatures above 150C. After two years, the organization sought to investigate whether Styroflex could function as a binding agent for cork granules. Ultimately, an appropriate solution was discovered with a ring extruder.
Styroflex is a styrene-butadiene block copolymer (SBC) with exceptional properties as an elastomer suitable for extrusion (blowing and casting film), injection molding, and other processing methods. The item boasts significant resiliency, robustness, optical clarity, and stability during processing. In film applications, Styroflex provides excellent stretch recovery, puncture resistance, superior transparency, and increased oxygen and moisture permeability. Critical applications for Styroflex include medical tubes, stretch hoods, impact-modified compounds, and flexible films.
Styroflex is now cleared for a range of food contact applications. However, further testing for the cork binder application is planned to ensure all food safety requirements are met.
Stefan Meier, Business Development Manager at INEOS Styrolution, stated: “The amazing properties of products make it the material of choice for a broad range of applications. I look forward to popping a Styroflex cork on a lovely bottle of wine.”
