de - Beste verfügbare Techniken (BVT) - Umweltbundesamt

Chapter 1
Other
7 %
Antimony
oxides
13 %
Alumina
trihydrate
11 %
Brominated compounds
40 %
Chlorinated
compounds
5 %
Figure 1.18: Market composition by flame-retardant material
1.3.8 Plasticisers
[6, Ullmann, 2001]
Organophosphorous
24 %
A plasticiser is a substance incorporated into a material to increase its flexibility, workability, or
distensibility. A plasticiser may reduce the melt viscosity, lower the temperature of the secondorder
transition, or lower the elastic modulus of the product. Plasticisers are inert, organic
substances with low vapour pressures, predominantly esters, and react physically with high
polymers to form a homogeneous physical unit, whether it be by means of swelling or
dissolving or any other. At present some 300 plasticisers are manufactured, of which at
least 100 are of commercial importance. Figure 1.19 shows some of the most widely used
plasticisers.
(b)
R
O
(a)
R
O
O
O
C C
O O
R
(a) Adipate esters
(b) Phthalic esters
(c) Trimellitate esters
Figure 1.19: Examples of some plasticisers
In 1996, production of plasticisers in Western Europe amounted to 1253 × 103 tonnes per year
and in the United States to 636 × 103 tonnes per year [99, D2 comments, 2005]. In terms of
plasticiser types, the majority of this tonnage (>85 %) is standard phthalate (esters of phthalic
anhydride with C8 – C10 alcohols). The reasons for this are the relatively low price and readily
available feedstocks. The remainder of the market is taken up by phthalate esters of other
alcohols, speciality phthalates, adipates, trimellitates, and other esters.
16 Dezember 2005 OFC_BREF
R
O
O
O
R
O
O
R
O
R
O
O
(c)