GREAT LAKES INTRODUCES INNOVATIVE PRODUCT FORM FOR NICKEL QUENCHER STABILIZER

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY—Great Lakes Chemical Corporation (NYSE:GLK) today announced the launch of Lowilite® Q21, a nickel-based UV stabilizer system in a dust-free granular form, that lowers melting point to normal processing temperatures and alleviates dispersion issues in the manufacture of agricultural films.

The stabilization of agricultural films is a demanding application for polymer additives. The polyethylene film is expected to survive for several years during which it may be exposed to severe climate conditions and pesticides. Nickel quencher additives have been used successfully for many years to meet these difficult requirements, but possible allergic reactions to the dusty nickel powder and the powder’s green color causing cross-contamination and hygiene issues during polymer manufacture have been of great concern to manufacturers.

The Great Lakes Lowilite Q21 stabilizer system, produced using patented NDB® technology, alleviates these concerns with a non-dusting, precise blend of two light stabilizers with Lowilite® Q84 nickel quencher and Lowilite® 22 UV absorber. The Lowilite Q21 physical form eradicates the dust problem and resolves two other inherent issues with nickel quencher use—the high melting point and the resulting difficult dispersion of the nickel quencher in the polymer. The ‘alloy effect’ between Lowilite Q84 and Lowilite 22 lowers the melting point of Lowilite Q21 to normal processing temperatures, and, together with the pre-dispersion of the nickel quencher within the NDB, leads to greater productivity and higher film quality.

Great Lakes developed the NDB (or non-dusting blends) product form in the early 1990s. The blending technology allows several additives to be incorporated into one, dust-free granule or pellet—an ideal form for additives that are difficult to handle.

Through its Polymer Additives division, Great Lakes offers a full line of UV stabilizers, antioxidants, additive blends, nucleating agents/clarifiers, and optical monomers, as well as a leading line of flame retardants that include bromine-, phosphorus-, and antimony-based flame retardants and other synergists. For more information about these product lines, please visit the Great Lakes Polymer Additives web site at www.pa.greatlakes.com

Reader enquiries