Function to disperse biomass
evenly in plasticOANY- Contributing to the reduction in
the amount of petroleum-derived
resources used through promotionof utilization -SCTUDPRO SICTOP

Process is underway to reduce the use of petroleum-based raw materials by combining
biomass, a renewable organic resource, with plastics that are primarily made frompetroleum-derived resources. This article introduces dispersants that not only improve
plastic performance but also contribute to environment by ensuring that the biomass
and plastic combine well.

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Plastics are applied in awide range of fields
In recent years, plastics withcharacteristics of being light and easy toprocess, have advanced in various
performance features such as strength,
heat resistance, and conductivity andare being used in a wide range of fields,
including substitutes for metals toreduce weight. A substance called “filler”
enhances the performance of theseplastics. The strength of fiber-reinforced
plastics (FRPs) that are used in
automobile bodies, for example, isincreased by mixing fillers such as glass fibers,
carbon fibers, etc. into plastics.
However, the use of plastics, whose raw
material is derived from petroleum, has been
constantly increasing, and concerns about
their effects on the environment have been
expressed by many. Therefore, efforts toreduce the use of petroleum-derived raw
materials by using biomass as a filler havebeen promoted in recent years.

Effective use of biomass toensure both functions of plastic
and environmental friendliness
Biomass refers to organic resources of biologicalorigin, such as animals and plants in a broad
sense, but plant-derived materials such as
wood flour and rice bran are most often used
as plastic fillers.
The use of biomass fillers has a significant
advantage in terms of reducing the amount of
petroleum resources used as biomass fillers
can improve the strength of plastics. Plastics
mixed with wood flour have also been widelyused as construction materials and materials
for wood decks. In addition, rice bran is often
used in garbage bags and food storage bags
and has contributed to the environment interms of the effective use of by-products.
However, because biomass is hydrophilic, aproperty that conflicts with the hydrophobicityof plastics, it has poor “dispersibility,” whichindicates how uniformly biomass can be mixed
with plastic, and simply putting them together
does not provide sufficient performance.
2Furthermore, the use of biomass creates issues
such as lower yields and poor productappearance because the material becomesdifficult to process and has poor formability.
However, the dispersants ‘UMEX Series’ cancombine the plastic with the biomass andimprove dispersibility.

Products that bridge biomassand plastic‘UMEX’ is a dispersant developed by Sanyo
Chemical Industries that was launched in 1990.
It was created as a product for accommodatinga wide range of fillers, and it has been used inplastics combined with biomass in the earlystages of their history.
The primary ingredient of ‘UMEX’ is a substancecalled acid-modified polyolefin. Since ‘UMEX’contains both the acid that is compatible withthe hydrophilic biomass and the polyolefin thatis compatible with the hydrophobic plastic,
adding just a small percent of the dispersant to
the raw material can uniformly disperse thebiomass filler in the plastic, increase theadhesiveness of the interface, and improve themolding property.
It is our company’s “thermal degradation method”
technology that enables this performance. Bychemically bonding an acid after heating thepolyolefin to reduce its molecular weight, theamount of acid bonded can be increased, and theviscosity when the plastic is melted is reduced.
Through this mechanism, the dispersibility ofthe biomass filler is improved, and the adhesion
between biomass and resin is increased.

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SANYO PRODUCT TOPICS

Sanyo Chemical Industries has established theexpertise on adjusting the amount of molecules
and acids using this “thermal degradation
method” and has a lineup of products suitablefor various fillers such as glass fiber in addition
to biomass.

Utilizing our technology todevelop more environmentallyfriendly products‘UMEX’ has been highly recognized for its
quality since its launch, and it has become an
essential product in the field of biomass
composite plastics. It has been used as astandard dispersant for at least 10 years inexperiments at universities and research
institutions and has attracted further attention
as an environmentally friendly product becauseof an increase in environmental awareness inthe past few years.
Research is also underway at Sanyo ChemicalIndustries on products that can contribute not
only to the handling of different biomass types
that have emerged in recent years but also to

the development of novel environmentallyfriendly products by applying the ‘UMEX’technology and utilizing its products.
‘UMEX’ technology, which leads not only toimprovements in plastic performance but also
environmental protection such as reduction in
the use of petroleum resources, is a technologythat contributes to SDGs 9 “Build resilient
infrastructure, promote inclusive andsustainable industrialization and fosterinnovation,” and 12 “Ensure sustainableconsumption and production patterns.”‘UMEX,’ was developed by
Sanyo Chemical Industries
with future prospects inmind well before the rise inenvironmental conservation
activities and thedevelopment of the SDGs.
We will continue tocontribute to the creation ofan environmentally friendly
society by further advancing
the technologies we havedeveloped thus far.

■Representative properties of ‘UMEX Series’
UMEX 1001

UMEX 1010UMEX 100TS

UMEX 5200

UMEX 5600(developed product)

Yellow granule

Yellow granuleLight-yellow powder

Yellow granule

Yellow powder

Melting point (ºC)

142

135

136

124122Melt viscosity(mPa· s)

15,000

6,000

120

20,0003,000

Acid value(mgKOH/g)

26

52

3.5

1117

45,00030,0009,000

70,00040,000•Glass fiber
dispersant•Wood flour
dispersant•Hot melt adhesive•Asphalt excipient

Appearance

Molecular weight(Mw)Primary
application•Glass fiber dispersant

Measurement method
Melting point: DSC method, melt viscosity (160ºC): Type B viscometer, acid value: in accordance with JIS K0070,
molecular weight: high-temperature GPC method
Please contact our company’s sales representative when handling our company’s products. It is also necessary to read the “Safety Data Sheet”(SDS) in advance.
It is the responsibility of the user to determine the suitability and safety of the product for intended use.
Sanyo Chemical News 2021 Summer No. 5273