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The Earthwise division of Albemarle Corporation produces fire retardant chemicals, polymeric materials and other eco-friendly chemical products using the principles of green chemistry and sustainability. We supply three main types of polymer solutions: flame retardants, curing agents and antioxidants. Plastics compounders and polymer manufacturers use these products to add life-saving properties to resins used in electronics, appliances and furnishings, extend the useful life and improve the processability of their polymers, lubricants and fuels, and to increase the value of their chemical output or unlock new applications for their own products.
We are the leading providers of flame retardants.
Our solutions help save lives and protect property in several end-markets.
We’ve designed several flame retardants to improve electrical properties of wire and cable applications. Others resist blooming, plate-out and UV light in HIPS and ABS. Still others improve the “green strength” or reduce fogging of urethane foams. In fact, we offer solutions that can improve virtually any polymer you can name.
But what we’re most proud of is our new GreenArmor solution that provides our customers with top performance while being an eco-preferred solution and friend to the earth.
We help plastic molders, compounders and foamers meet or exceed stringent legal and regulatory requirements to save lives and protect property.
Earthwise™ GreenArmor™
The next generation of eco-friendly fire safety solutions
We’ve recently developed and will be marketing a recyclable, eco-friendly, brominated fire safety product called GreenArmor™. This new product will be marketed under the “Earthwise™ Fire Safety and Polymers” brand name and is a significant breakthrough in the world of brominated fire retardants.
 GreenArmor is scheduled to launch for commercial use in late 2010. GreenArmor is an eco-friendly solution compared to many flame retardants currently on the market, while maintaining the premium performance product attributes.
All Earthwise products demand a more rigorous focus on sustainability and eco-friendliness. In order for a product to be introduced under the Earthwise label, it must exceed sustainability and eco-friendliness criteria, above and beyond the standards set for existing commercial products. Those criteria include bioaccumulation, toxicity, recycle capability, carbon footprint and other critical environmental metrics.
GreenArmor is non-bioaccumulative and recyclable.
GreenArmor is an innovative solution that is organically based rather than mineral-based. It is a polymer, which means the chemical is too large to be absorbed by the body or animal life. GreenArmor exists in a pelletized form, rather than in powder form; as a result, when used by manufacturers, its emissions are much lower.
GreenArmor is designed to be an environmentally preferred product. The highly stable nature of product lends itself to efficient recycling of the plastics that use it. Accordingly, the discharge of poisonous fumes to the environment during product recycling phase is minimized.
Additionally, when combined with the good practices by other environmentally sound programs, such as VECAP (Voluntary Emissions Control Action Programme), we can be confident that emissions are truly minimal.
VECAP is a global chemical management program, implemented in Asia- Pacific region, Europe and North America in which Albemarle participatesto enourage its customers to take an active role in emission reduction. The VECAP program is based on ISO 14001 principles. For more info on VECAP, please visit www.vecap.info.
Staying fire safe after products are recycled.
The ability to maintain superior flame retardancy after being recycled is a crucial factor in the success of this process, and GreenArmor tested very well in this important area.
Exposure to harsh environments
Another important factor to consider is the exposure of electronics and other fire safety protected property like furniture to harsh environments such as outdoor storage or in hot, humid environments for extended periods of time. These conditions can have a dramatic impact on the results of recycling. Again, materials containing GreenArmor were virtually unaffected by these conditions and displayed excellent recyclability.
Overall, the results of all testing clearly show that the materials containing GreenArmor have superior recyclability compared to the most common fire safety alternatives.
Learn more about GreenArmor flame retardants for your industry or market. If what we've explained here does not meet your needs, please contact us. Our technical application and development experts around the world may be working on research to address your challenge. |
