TeMaEs – Terpinene maleic acid esters as plasticizers for plastics

Initial situation

Plasticizers are among the most important additives in the plastics industry, with around 10 million tons used per year. Most commonly used are esters of phthalic acid (e.g. dioctyl phthalate, DOP) due to their excellent suitability as plasticizers and their low cost; around 80 percent of the plasticizers used are phthalic acid derivatives. In recent years, bio-based alternatives to fossil-based, often toxic phthalates have increasingly become the focus of industrial attention. 

Challenges

One approach to avoiding phthalates and improving the environmental footprint of plastics in general is the use of bio-based plasticizers, which reduce the use of fossil-based raw materials and are potentially more biodegradable. Typical disadvantages of bio-based plasticizers are higher prices, complex production, insufficient raw material base and poorer performance.

Objectives and solution approach

This is where terpinene maleic acid esters in the TeMaEs project comes in. The overall aim of the TeMaEs project is the further development and complete characterization of the plasticizer class previously developed in LiMeOx, which already shows great potential in production and performance at an early stage of development. TeMaEs plasticizers are to be chemically and structurally adapted specifically for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and bio-based polyesters and scaled up to the kilogram scale. Performance tests are to be carried out in an pre-industrial environment in order to achieve the next technology readiness level.