Struktol: Intelligently empowering innovation in recycled plastic

You may be familiar with Struktol Co. of America LLC’s lubricants and processing aids, but the company also produces additives that elevate the performance of polymers, including recycled plastic.

The company, a member of the Germany-based Schill + Seilacher family of companies, opened a manufacturing plant in Stow, Ohio, in 1979 to serve the tire and rubber industry and since has expanded its expertise into plastics. Across its three state-of-the-art R&D facilities, Struktol’s team of chemists is at the forefront of additive innovation. The company invests heavily in its research and advanced testing capabilities to develop multifunctional additives, sustainable solutions and custom formulations backed by its ISO 9001:2015 certification.

The Struktol name is synonymous with quality and performance, a reputation it has brought to its process additives for use with recycled plastics and for polymer compounds that contain recycled content.

Struktol’s innovative additives enable the use of recycled content by providing melt flow/viscosity control and addressing odor.

The company’s VMO series additives, RP 11, RP 38 and RP 23, are used to control the viscosity and melt flow rate of polypropylene (PP) resins and compounds. Users can control the processability of their resins, and Struktol will customize formulations to meet a variety of flow rate specifications for its customers. These low-odor additives offer unmatched viscosity control uniformity, can handle polyethylene (PE) contamination and also provide lubrication and stability during processing.

Struktol’s RP 17 and RP 53 additives are designed to address odor. RP 17 and RP 53 can be added during compounding, extrusion or molding to mask or eliminate undesirable odors often associated with the addition of postindustrial or postconsumer recycled PE and PP. These products are suitable for automotive applications where higher process temperatures can make odor more noticeable. PR 17 was developed as an odor mask, whereas RP53 is used as an odor neutralizer at low dosages or to impart a “clean” odor at higher dosages.

Useful in a variety of different resin systems from polyolefins to engineered plastics, Struktol’s products offer greater processing efficiency and enhanced performance. The additives are targeted to plastic compounds that contain 100 percent recycled material or varying levels of postconsumer or postindustrial recycled content.