Plasticisers: Principles and Practice PDF

The purpose of this book is to provide a concise set of information covering the various inter-related issues which are of interest to people whose work requires some knowledge of plasticisers. Whilst it is aimed principally at industrial users and suppliers of plastic additives it is hoped that the book will also be of value to any researcher or student who wishes to gain an appreciation of plasticisers in their industrial context.

The selection of contents is based on the range of questions personally encountered during thirty years of working with these materials in the fields of technical service, development and market research. These questions have come from customers and colleagues, processors and raw materials suppliers, experienced plasticiser users and newcomers. They relate not only to technology but to the commercial status and raw materials basis of plasticisers, to questions of quality and suitability for purpose, and in steadily increasing volume to the health, safety and environmental aspects of these important industrial chemicals. The last of these is a large dynamic subject and the coverage in the last chapter of the book is no more than a snapshot of the scene at the time of writing. It attempts to provide an integrated picture of a number of apparently diverse issues which have come to the fore in recent years.

Chapters 4-7 make reference in several places to the relative prices of different plasticisers, this being the major factor accounting for their long term commercial status. The writing of the book coincided with an unprecedented threefold escalation in European prices for large tonnage commodity phthalate plasticisers. So far these high prices have persisted until the middle of 1995 and this temporarily invalidates some of the comparisons made. However since they are based on more typical historical relationships they are likely to be reasonably representative of the situation if and when phthalate prices return to a stable level.

The science and technology of plasticisers and plasticisation continues to attract research effort, nowadays having the benefit of much more searching techniques than were available in the pioneering days. In contrast to HSE and economic issues it is generally seen as a mature subject with a low probability of major new developments. Hence purely technical texts on plasticisers tend not to date quickly. The milestone publication which above others is something of a bible for plasticiser specialists is The Technology of Plasticisers by Sears and Darby which draws on comprehensive research spanning the full range and history of the subject. However, the average plasticiser user in need of a quick answer to a technical question is likely to rely on suppliers' literature backed by access to their technical service representatives. The technical data presented and discussed in this present book are mainly of the type which is available from these sources. The intention is to aid the interpretation and application of such data and it is hoped that this will be of value in contacts between suppliers and users. The same theme occurs in Chapter 8 of the book which covers the subject of plasticiser quality and specifications.

The balance of contents of the book reflects the fact that the great majority of consumption of plasticisers is in PVC. This dominance sometimes causes other applications to be overlooked and Chapter 7 attempts to redress this by covering other polymers in which the use of plasticisers is technically and commercially important.

Thanks are due to the many companies and individuals who have contributed information both in the form of technical literature and of vital facts and opinions based on their experience. I am particularly grateful to BP Chemicals, the source of much of the reference data contained in the book and to Paul Brown, David Cadogan, Francis Carpanini, Roland Caulcutt, Paul Clutterbuck, Peter Danckwerts, Jennifer Hodge, David Pugh, Alex Thomson and my wife Lyn for their help and encouragement.

Edited by: Alan S. Wilson