ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF FILLERS

This chapter contains information on the flammability and fire resistance of filled materials. It also covers the recycling of filled materials.  

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The main purpose of pesticide formulation is to manufacture a product that has optimum biological efficiency, is convenient to use, and minimizes environmental impacts. The active ingredients are mixed with solvents, adjuvants (boosters), and fillers as necessary to achieve the desired formulation. The types of formulations include wettable powders, soluble concentrates, emulsion concentrates, oil-in-water emulsions, suspension concentrates, suspoemulsions, water-dispersible granules, dry granules, and controlled release, in which the active ingredient is released into the environment from a polymeric carrier, binder, absorbent, or encapsulant at a slow and effective rate. The formulation steps may generate air emissions, liquid effluents, and solid wastes. 

These current developments place an emphasis on the perfection of filler technology. This has resulted in the creation of many very high quality materials which are too expensive to use in most applications. There is a need to develop materials which arc substantially more cost-effective but still allow the conservation of matrix materials. This will be driven by environmental concerns. Product life cycle evaluation, an emerging development, will have a strong impact on the choice of fixture technologies and fillers associated with these technologies. REFERENCES... 

These blends are widely used in shrinkable films, multilayer packing, and wire and cable coating. Although PE and EVA are immiscible, the vinyl consequence in EVA gives the same crystal structure as PE and partial miscibility at the interface of PE/EVA blends. Addition of EVA to HOPE could improve transparency, environmental stress cracking resistance, capacity of filler carrying, and impact properties, but usually reduces the tensile strength. 

Synthetic rubber (ethylene-vinylacetate rubber, EVM ethylene-propylene-diene rubber, EPDM) - new formulas of these materials dehver coatings that are not affected by environmental impact (UV, ozone, humidity, chemicals) and have excellent light transmission (up to 80%). A silica filler provides high tensile strength, high flexibility and very good foldabil-ity, even at low temperatures. 

An interesting way to manage mixed plastic waste is to use it as matrix for composite materials. In this way it is possible to reinforce the otherwise poor secondary material with the potential side advantage of reducing the overall environmental impact by using natural fillers or fibers that can also be chemically... 

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