Plastics recycling and technology company MBA Polymers announced on 22 April it has started the first commercial production of post-consumer PC/ABS pellets from shredded waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
Production is expected to be built up steadily through 2016, says the firm. The PC/ABS plant is at MBA’s facility at Kematen, Austria. The new product will be distributed under the EvoSource™ tradename. PC/ABS is used in a wide range of electronic products such as computer monitors, cellular phones and laptop computers and is a highly-engineered blend of polycarbonate (PC) with acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) often used in automotive applications. Post-consumer PC/ABS looks likely to play a vital role in meeting the growing global demand for sustainable materials in some of the largest markets in the world – automotive, electrical and consumer electronics.“
The decision to develop PC/ABS products reflects a determination to meet the growing demand from customers for post-consumer recycled plastic, says the firm, as well as extending a commitment to sustainable growth. “Every 1% increase in the usage of our waste benefits our return on investment enormously. MBA is unique in being able to extract the degree of value that we are achieving today from WEEE“, said Richard McCombs, chief executive.
EvoSource™ PC/ABS and and the firm’s other high-quality recycled plastics help expand the opportunities available to manufacturers looking to use more sustainable materials, making the circular economy more realisable, suggested Arthur Schwesig, Business Manager, Engineering Plastics, MBA Polymers, Austria. EvoSource™ PC/ABS grades are said to have excellent mechanical properties that make them candidates for a broad range of applications including some in the automotive, electrical, industrial and consumer markets. In electronics, for example, designers will be able to specify Evosource™ PC/ABS to increase the use of post-consumer recycled plastics in order to achieve the higher ratings required by the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), http://www.epeat.net.
In addition to the new PC/ABS product, MBA Polymers produces a variety of post-consumer plastics recovered from shredded WEEE and end-of-life vehicles. These products are sold into a broad range of industries including the automotive, electrical, industrial and consumer markets. Its premium EvoSource™ ABS (Acrylonitrile/Butadiene/Styrene) and HIPS (High
Impact Polystyrene) grades are currently used in products such as printer housings, coffee makers and vacuum cleaners.
