Stabilization of environmentally friendly plasticizers

 Background

  The thesis is part of a research project aimed at developing an environmentally-friendly plasticizer to replace phthalates, which today is the most common group of plasticizers in PVC. The reason for the replacement of phthalates is that they are likely to migrate out of the polymer matrix to the surroundings where they are suspected to affect living organisms adversely. Our task is to produce a plasticizer from renewable raw materials which is not harmful, do not migrate into the environment and have the same good plasticizing properties as the phthalates. Possible candidates for replacement of phthalates are epoxidized vegetable oils, but some of them they tend to lose their plasticizing ability after long-term use.

Objectives

 This thesis aims to find a stabilizer to improve the long-term plasticizing properties of epoxidized vegetable oils.

Implementation

1.       Literature study on possible stabilizers.

2.       Testing of selected stabilizers in micro compounder.

3.       Analysis of results by means of hardness measurement, DSC, UV-Vis and migration, before and after accelerated aging.

4.       Manufacture PVC film on a larger scale in roll mill.

5.       Analysis of results by tensile test, hardness measurement, DSC, UV-vis and migration, before and after accelerated aging.

6.       Report writing and presentation.

 Organization

 The student will be positioned at SP Technical Research Institute in Borås.

 For more information contact:

 Anna Bondeson tel. 010-516 55 30, anna.bondeson@sp.se